Jay Luly: Well, a reduction in vaccination, you know, can only lead to an increase in infection where you need an antiviral. So, we have always believed this to be the case that ultimately vaccines would never have a 100% efficacy. I had five vaccinations and still got COVID. So they are never a hundred percent efficacious and compliance is never a 100% and we have seen that compliance drop way, way off. Now meanwhile the COVID levels right now are a little, they are pretty low, starting to creep up a little bit here in Boston as we watch the wastewater every day, but they are still pretty low, but we will see what happens in the fall as we get closer to the sort of the normal season. So I think ultimately, we all now believe that the virus is not going away, it is going to go back into, sort of being like a nasty flu, and we need drugs for that.
So I think, it is actually not new news that our decision on the partner in front. I mean, we made that – I think it is pretty clear last quarter that, and even before that we have telegraphed for really since the beginning of the pandemic that our ultimate aim is to define that commercial partner that would really handle the late stage work and give us a global footprint that we couldn’t possibly achieve as well a loan where we could do it. So that is still our plan. We will see what happens to the virus starting the fall.
Operator: And our next question comes from Eric Joseph with JP Morgan.
Eric Joseph: Just actually sticking with the point about benchmarking for EDP-323 I guess. What type of data readout from the Human Challenge study would kind of give you an indication that the molecule is differentiated perhaps from 938? Would you perhaps be including 938 as an active comparator in the trial? And maybe just more generally with respect to the trial design. Is there any, are there any key differences in the design of this upcoming hemo challenge study compared to that conducted in 2019 for 938? Thank you.
Jay Luly: I think, I mean, we are going to use the same outset to conduct the study. I think you should be thinking of the study as being very much the same design. And I think the world’s best benchmarks to look at is EDP-938. That was one of the most robust data sets ever performed in or achieved in a human challenge study. So, 938 will be the standard that we will compare it to. We are not going to do sort of a side by side in this study that is, that would only drag it out further and postpone the time for us to get into later stage studies with the molecule. I think we have got such a good handle on that challenge data and how to look at that challenge data that we will be able to get pretty much everything we need to know from just the drug versus placebo.
And to remind you, 938 the kinds of data that we showed with that was an extremely robust antiviral effect. So pretty much within 12-hours of dosing, 938, it altered the course of the infection. So people who were on 938 had viral loads that started to stabilize and decline, and people on placebo viral loads continued to rise and plateau, and only after many days returned back toward normal. So, it was a highly statistically significant antiviral effect that we achieved versus placebo. And the same was the exact result, when you looked at it was achieved with symptom scores as well. So, from a symptom standpoint, within a day of dosing symptoms had stabilized and started to go down. Whereas, people on placebo symptoms continued to progress, they got worse and they plateaued at elevated level and then only gradually resolved over time.
So that is the kind of data that we are looking for. And again, we have got a very excellent benchmark comparator with EDP-235.
