Hyundai Bioscience said on Wednesday that it would expand the indication of its oral antiviral agent CP-COV03 (ingredient: niclosamide).

The biotech company is repurposing niclosamide, an anti-parasitic drug, as a Covid-19 treatment. The investigational drug’s indication will also include influenza treatment, the company said.

To expand the indication, the company plans to apply for two phase 2 clinical trials of CP-COV03 -- one for Covid-19 treatment and the other for flu treatment.

“We recently delivered our intention to conduct CP-COV03 trials for both Covid-19 and influenza treatment to the government and asked their cooperation,” an official at Hyundai Bioscience said. “If we complete the phase 1 study of CP-COV03 for Covid-19 treatment, we will skip a phase 1 trial and start a phase 2 trial of the drug for flu treatment.”

Amid concerns over “twindemic,” or an outbreak of severe flu during the Covid-19 pandemic, the official said that in the winter season, there is a growing need for a drug that can treat both diseases simultaneously. An additional flu indication of the experimental Covid-19 drug will meet such a need, he added.

In September last year, Hyundai Bioscience cited Daewoong Pharmaceutical’s announcement that niclosamide demonstrated an excellent effect of treating flu in an animal test.

“Covid-19 infection and flu show similar symptoms, so it is more crucial to take a preemptive response than anything else,” the Hyundai Bioscience official said. “CP-COV03 will be a safe antiviral drug that can treat Covid-19 and flu at the same time.”