Leronlimab (PRO 140 or PA 14) is an investigational humanized IgG4 antibody targeting CCR5. It is being studied in several disease states including HIV, metastatic colon cancer, NASH, metastatic triple-negative breast cancer, and acute GvHD. The proposed mechanism of leronlimab in COVID-19 infections is mitigation of the “cytokine storm” by inhibiting the migration of immune cells as well as the release of cytokines that promote inflammation in the lungs. Currently there are two clinical trials investigating the role of leronlimab in treating COVID-19. Prior to the start of the clinical trials, a limited number of severely ill patients received leronlimab through an EIND granted by the FDA.
The recommendation for the use of leronlimab in the treatment of COVID-19 is only in the context of a clinical trial. Currently there is no published pre-clinical or human evidence for the use of leronlimab for treatment of either SARS-CoV-1 or SARS-CoV-2.
Major Peer-reviewed Studies
There are no published studies evaluating the safety and efficacy of leronlimab in patients diagnosed with COVID-19. There are at least two ongoing studies listed in ClinicalTrials.gov.
References
- Kaplon H, Muralidharan M, Schneider Z, Reichert JM. Antibodies to watch in 2020. MAbs. 2020;12(1):1-24.
- Khatib N, Das S. PRO-140- a novel CCR5 co-receptor inhibitor. Recent Pat Antiinfect Drug Discov. 2010;5(1):18-22.
- CytoDyn. COVID-19. Accessed April 20, 2020.