By Adriano Marchese

Edesa Biotech Inc. said Friday that an independent committee has recommended that the company's Covid-19 drug candidate study continue as planned.

The clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company said the Data and Safety Monitoring Board, which monitors patient safety and treatment efficacy data during clinical trials, recommended that enrollment in the trial continue.

The recommendation follows an interim review of the first patient cohort participating in Edesa's Phase 2/3 clinical study for the EB05 drug candidate, a single-dose treatment for more serious cases of Covid-19.

Edesa said it has filed a trial amendment with the Food and Drug Administration to streamline the U.S. protocol and align it with other jurisdictions.

"These planned changes could significantly reduce the number of additional patients enrolled in the study and could put us in the position to demonstrate results sooner," Vice President of Research and Development Blair Gordon said.

Write to Adriano Marchese at adriano.marchese@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

June 18, 2021 08:54 ET (12:54 GMT)