NanoViricides Reports Novel Drug Candidates for Treatment of the MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) Corona Virus Ready f...
May 05 2014 - 7:00AM
Business Wire
NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NNVC) (the "Company") reported
today that it has designed and synthesized novel nanoviricides®
drug candidates in quantities sufficient for testing in animals
infected with the MERS Corona Virus.
Recently, New York Times reported that the first case of MERS
infection in the United States was in stable condition. This
person, a healthcare worker, flew from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to
Chicago, and then by bus to Indiana
(http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/03/health/mers-virus-found-in-united-states-for-first-time.html?_r=0).
MERS is a new coronavirus similar to the SARS virus. It first
appeared in 2012 in the Middle East. Since then, about 400 cases
have been reported to the World Health Organization; about a third
have been fatal. While it has not spread easily between humans,
there have been outbreaks within families and in hospitals, where
patients have infected paramedics, nurses and doctors, reported the
New York Times.
Using our platform technology, NanoViricides, Inc. has already
developed novel drug candidates against the MERS virus that mimic
the MERS virus binding to the host cell. The Company developed
ligands that are designed to bind to the MERS coronavirus spike
protein, in the same fashion that the cognate receptor of the
virus, DPP-IV, binds to the virus. We performed the ligand design
using well established molecular modeling techniques, based on
published data regarding the MERS coronavirus spike protein and
DPP-IV binding. The ligands were then chemically attached to the
nanomicelle base polymer, thus making the nanoviricides drug
candidates against the MERS virus. The Company has already
successfully scaled up the synthesis to multi-gram scale,
sufficient for animal testing, and can easily scale the processes
to make kilogram quantities for widespread application in human
patients if they are found to be effective and safe.
“We have a very high expectation that these drug candidates will
show significant effectiveness in combatting the MERS virus
infection, based on our work against Influenza, HIV, HSV, and other
diseases where information on the virus-host cell binding was
available,” said Anil R. Diwan, PhD, President and Chairman of the
Company, adding, “Further, we have already established that the
several nanoviricides we currently have in development are very
safe in preliminary animal studies.”
There are no known drugs or vaccines against the MERS
coronavirus. No small animal models for testing MERS therapeutics
were available until recently. Perlman and collaborators have
recently reported a mouse model
(http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/03/05/1323279111.abstract).
In this model, mice were infected with adenovirus carrying the
DPP-IV gene to make them susceptible to the MERS virus. Both the
safety and effectiveness of any drug has to be determined
experimentally. The safety of a nanoviricide drug is expected to
depend upon the safety of the nanomicelle portion as well as the
safety of the antiviral ligand.
“The rapid development and deployment capability of our platform
technology was demonstrated by how quickly we were able to create
these drug candidates,” said Dr. Eugene Seymour, MD, MPH, Chief
Executive Officer of the Company, explaining, “The design of a set
of viable ligands was completed in merely three weeks, and the
initial syntheses took another four weeks.”
NanoViricides, Inc. currently has six drug candidates in its
pipeline and several research programs underway. The Company is
advancing both an injectable drug and an oral drug against
Influenzas in IND-enabling studies in its FluCide™ program. The
injectable FluCide is being developed for the seriously ill,
hospitalized patients with influenza-like illness. The oral FluCide
drug is being developed for out-patient influenza cases. Both of
these drugs are broad-spectrum, i.e. they are expected to work
against most if not all influenza A viruses. The Company believes
this is so because the virus-binding ligand in these drugs mimics
sialic acid, and it is well known that all influenza viruses bind
to sialic acid receptors on a cell in order to gain entry into the
cell. Both of these anti-influenza drugs may also be useful for
prophylaxis, as in the protection of health care workers. In
addition, the Company has developed several other highly effective
drug candidates. These include HIVCide™, HerpiCide™, DengueCide™,
and a broad-spectrum nanoviricide eye drop formulation against
viral infections of the eye. The Company’s drug programs are based
on the Company’s patented “nanoviricide®” platform technology that
enables specifically targeting a particular type of virus with a
novel mechanism of action. In addition, the Company’s other
research and development programs include (a) broad-spectrum
nanoviricides against a number of Neglected Tropical Diseases, and
(b) its novel ADIF™ ( “Accurate Drug In Field”™ ) technologies
which promise a way to attack novel viruses, whether man-made
(bioterrorism) or natural (such as MERS or SARS), before they cause
a pandemic.
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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