Tevogen:TVGN-489 retains activity against dominant JN.1 variant

Tevogen Bio Holdings announced TVGN 489, its investigational allogeneic SARS-CoV-2 specific Cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocytes CTLs immunotherapy for treatment of COVID-19 in high-risk patients and Long COVID, retains activity against the currently dominant and highly mutated JN.1 strain based on a review of this variant’s protein sequences. TVGN 489 contains Cytotoxic T lymphocytes that recognize multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins, or peptides. TVGN 489’s peptide targets have been preserved in all previously studied COVID strains. Continuing surveillance by Tevogen Bio of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the currently dominant JN.1 strain and newer JN.1 strains, show that 96% of these CTLs remain active against the current circulating variants. In January of 2023, Tevogen reported positive phase I study results in which high-risk patients with the delta, omicron 1, and omicron 2 variants of COVID-19 received TVGN 489, manufactured for the trial in May of 2021. In addition to no dose-limiting toxicities or significant treatment-related adverse events being observed in the treatment arm, all patients regardless of variant experienced prompt clinical improvement and a reduced amount of virus in their nasal swabs within 14 days. “These findings will be further assessed in planned later-stage trials and TVGN 489 will continue to be monitored for target preservation in emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants,” said Dr Dolores Grosso, DNP, Tevogen’s Global Clinical Development Lead.