SyneuRx? International announced that its investigational oral SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) anti-viral drug candidate Pentarlandir? has successfully been in Phase II US-FDA trial for several months and is nearing Phase III in 2022. Designed as an early-stage COVID-19 treatment, Pentarlandir is given by mouth to patients suffering either from 'breakthrough' cases of COVID-19 (for those who have been previously vaccinated or infected) or potentially as a first-line treatment pathway for the unvaccinated who might otherwise face potential hospitalization and death. Pentarlandir is based on highly-purified isomers of tannic acid and is derived from a botanical origin (just like Tamiflu?, which is itself purified from a chemical found in Star Anise). Pentarlandir specifically targets main protease, or 3CL-protease, which turns baseline viral protein into the necessary building blocks that enable the replication of new viral particles and also inhibits TMPRSS2 for viral entry. Pentarlandir acts on not just the serine protease TMPRSS2, but also HAT (both of which are critical for the entry of influenza-type viruses into cells). Therefore, it holds promise as a therapeutic tool for 'twindemic' scenarios (treatment of both COVID-19 and Influenza endemics). SyneuRx has previously received 'Breakthrough Therapy Designation and Orphan Drug Designation' grants by the FDA for its CNS drug candidates.