Swiss biopharmaceutical company Berlin Cures has announced the expansion of the Phase II clinical trial of its long Covid drug candidate, BC 007, in Europe.

The company is expanding the study into a pan-European, multi-centre partnership in the struggle against this condition.

A total of 12 sites in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Finland and Spain are collaborating to advance clinical research into long Covid.

The company expects to add more trial locations in Spain, Switzerland and Germany shortly.

Berlin Cures is planning to publish the first results from the trial next year.

If the results are favourable, the company aims to conduct a larger Phase III study, which will be a necessary step for the approval of BC 007.

The drug candidate has shown effectiveness in functional autoantibody (fAAB) positive healthy volunteers in a Phase I trial and in heart failure patients in a Phase IIa study.

Lab data generated using sera from individuals with long Covid and four case studies suggest that BC 007 has the potential to treat the condition.

Berlin Cures CEO Oliver von Stein said: “We are delighted to have so many clinical institutions across Europe working with us towards transforming our platform technology into a therapeutic solution for millions of patients.

“As we intensify our efforts on a multinational scale, we’re aiming to provide a solution for long Covid, as well as to redefine the approach to multiple other բAAB [functionally active autoantibodies]-associated diseases such as heart failure or glaucoma.

“This pan-European collaboration symbolises a united front against an urgent health crisis and underscores our dedication to innovation and impactful science.”

Earlier this year, Berlin Cures began the Phase II study of BC 007 to evaluate its tolerability and efficacy in long Covid patients and obtain meaningful data.

The initial trial subjects were admitted to Havelhöhe and Münster University hospitals in Germany.