NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE MKT:NNVC) (the "Company"), announced
today that theDengueCide evaluation contract has been renewed with
Dr. Eva Harris’ Laboratory at the University of California,
Berkeley, School of Public Health, Division of Infectious Diseases
and Vaccinology.
Dr. Harris is one of the world’s leading experts in dengue. This
contract renewal will allow the Company to continue its drug
development program for the treatment of dengue.
There is currently neither an effective drug treatment nor a
vaccine for dengue virus infection. The FDA has recently awarded
orphan drug status to DengueCide and the Company is pursuing
similar status with the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The orphan
designation enables the Company to undertake rapid drug development
following its influenza drug candidates.
“Our relationship with Dr. Harris and her colleagues is
critically important to our development program for DengueCide,”
said Eugene Seymour, MD, MPH, CEO of NanoViricides. Dr. Harris has
an excellent mouse model of dengue virus infection and disease that
the Company used previously to evaluate its anti-dengue agents. In
those studies, the nanoviricides® have shown high effectiveness. In
Prof. Harris’ model of dengue vascular leak, dengue virus infection
of the laboratory mouse strain, AG129, is 100% fatal when the mice
are untreated. In contrast, in the same study, animals treated with
one of NanoViricides' anti-dengue agents achieved an unprecedented
50% survival rate.
Dengue is receiving significant international attention, as it
threatens over 40% of the world population, according to the WHO.
Dengue cases with significant fatality rates have started rising in
tropical countries this year already, as demonstrated by reports
from India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Philippines, Cambodia, and
Colombia, among others. Dengue is endemic in Asia, Mexico, the
Caribbean, Central America and many countries in South America.
Dengue virus infections have occurred in the southern US states,
including a recent outbreak in Key West and Miami. Travel leads to
sporadic cases of dengue in the US.
Dengue virus, a member of the Flaviviridae family of viruses
that includes West Nile and Hepatitis C viruses, is transmitted to
humans via female Aedes mosquitoes. There are 4 different serotypes
of dengue virus that infect humans. When a person is infected with
dengue virus for the first time, the disease may not be severe,
inducing fever, muscle and joint pain, and rash. When the same
person is later infected by a different dengue virus serotype, a
more severe disease may develop (Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever/Dengue
Shock Syndrome (DHF/DSS)). This DHF/DSS may be caused by antibodies
and/or cross-reactive T cells produced during the first infection.
According to the WHO, fatality rates of DHF/DSS can exceed 20%.
About Dr. Eva Harris’ Laboratory at the University of
California, Berkeley
The Harris Laboratory in the Division of Infectious Diseases in
the School of Public Health at the University of California,
Berkeley (http://www.berkeley.edu) has developed a
multidisciplinary approach to study the molecular virology,
pathogenesis, immunology, and epidemiology of dengue, the most
prevalent mosquito-borne viral disease in humans. Their work
addresses viral and host factors that modulate disease severity as
well as immune correlates of protection. One major research focus
has been the development of a mouse model to study viral tropism
and pathogenesis, investigate the immune response to dengue virus
infection, and evaluate candidate anti-viral therapeutics. Dr.
Harris’ field work focuses on laboratory-based and epidemiological
studies of dengue in endemic Latin American countries, particularly
in Nicaragua, where ongoing projects include clinical and
biological studies of severe dengue, a pediatric cohort study of
dengue and influenza transmission in Managua, and a project on
evidence-based, community-derived interventions for prevention of
dengue via control of its mosquito vector.
NanoViricides Pipeline
NanoViricides is developing broad-spectrum anti-influenza drugs
as part of its rich drug pipeline. The Company believes that its
FluCideTM drug candidates will be effective against most if not all
influenza viruses, including the H7N9 bird flu, H3N2 or H1N1
epidemic viruses, H5N1 bird flu, seasonal influenzas, as well as
novel influenza viruses. This is because FluCide is based on the
Company’s biomimetic technology, mimicking the natural sialic acid
receptors for the influenza virus on the surface of a nanoviricide®
polymeric micelle. It is important to note that all influenza
viruses bind to the sialic acid receptors, even if they rapidly
mutate. The FluCide drug candidates have already shown strong
effectiveness against H1N1 and H3N2 influenza viruses in highly
lethal animal models. The injectable FluCide drug candidates have
shown 1,000X greater viral load reduction as compared to
oseltamivir (Tamiflu®), the current standard of care, in a highly
lethal influenza infection animal model. The Company believes that
these animal model results should translate readily into
humans.
NanoViricides has also developed an oral drug candidate against
influenza. This oral version is also dramatically more effective
than TamiFlu in the animals given a lethal influenza virus
infection. This oral FluCide may be the very first nanomedicine
that is effective when taken by mouth.
In addition, NanoViricides has developed drug candidates against
Dengue, HIV/AIDS, Herpes, and Ocular Viral Diseases that have shown
strong effectiveness in relevant animal and/or cell culture
models.
About NanoViricides:
NanoViricides, Inc. (www.nanoviricides.com) is a development stage company that is creating
special purpose nanomaterials for viral therapy. The Company's
novel nanoviricide® class of drug candidates are designed to
specifically attack enveloped virus particles and to dismantle
them. The Company is developing drugs against a number of viral
diseases including H1N1 swine flu, H5N1 bird flu, seasonal
Influenza, HIV, oral and genital Herpes, viral diseases of the eye
including EKC and herpes keratitis, Hepatitis C, Rabies, Dengue
fever, and Ebola virus, among others.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that
reflect the Company's current expectation regarding future events.
Actual events could differ materially and substantially from those
projected herein and depend on a number of factors. Certain
statements in this release, and other written or oral statements
made by NanoViricides, Inc. are “forward-looking statements” within
the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and
Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You should not
place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they
involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors
which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which
could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of
activity, performance or achievements. The Company assumes no
obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking
statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results
could differ materially from those anticipated in these
forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes
available in the future. Important factors that could cause actual
results to differ materially from the company's expectations
include, but are not limited to, those factors that are disclosed
under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in documents filed
by the company from time to time with the United States Securities
and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities. Although
it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors, they
may include the following: demonstration and proof of principle in
pre-clinical trials that a nanoviricide is safe and effective;
successful development of our product candidates; our ability to
seek and obtain regulatory approvals, including with respect to the
indications we are seeking; the successful commercialization of our
product candidates; and market acceptance of our products.
NanoViricides, Inc.Amanda Schuon,
310-550-7200info@nanoviricides.com
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