Yale University’s School of Medicine and AI Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company, have launched a multi-institutional clinical to test the safety and efficacy of using apilimod to reduce virus levels in infected individuals. While Yale will conduct the study, AI Therapeutics, founded by a Yale alumnus, will own intellectual property rights to the drug.

The study is expected to enroll 142 newly diagnosed patients. Murat Gonel, a Yale professor and an advisor at AI Therapeutics says, “LAM-002A holds promise to be a powerful new therapy for COVID-19 patients to prevent progression of disease, hopefully avoiding the need for hospitalization.” Gunel and others involved in the study are hopeful that apilimod will be able to prevent the development of COVID-19 after exposure, particularly among high-risk populations, such as the elderly community.