NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NNVC) is taking a new approach to combatting some of the world’s most commercially important viral diseases through the development of nanotechnology-based biomimetic anti-viral medicines called NanoViricides®. These microscopic agents are specially designed to fool viruses into attaching to them, much like they attach to the receptors of human cells. However, once attached, NanoViricides wrap around the virus, trapping the infectious organism and destroying its coat proteins. Without coat proteins, viruses are unable to bind to cells. In other words, the company’s innovative antiviral technology renders targeted viruses completely innocuous and effectively destroyed.
Although NNVC’s licensed technology may be effective in combatting a host of viruses – including HIV/AIDS, cold sores and genital herpes infection, viral eye diseases and dengue viruses – the company’s leading product candidate is being developed for the treatment of severe influenza. Injectable FluCide™ is a novel, first-in-class drug for which NNVC has filed a pre-IND application. Late last year, the company reported that it is also advancing preclinical studies for HerpeCide™, which it expects to serve as the cornerstone for topical drugs designed to control herpes virus outbreaks for a number of indications. In the months to come, NNVC intends to continue work on both Injectable FluCide and HerpeCide in an effort to initiate clinical stage testing in the near future.
“The topical HerpeCide program is developing in parallel with our injectable FluCide,” Eugene Seymour, MD, MPH, chief executive officer of NNVC, stated in a news release. “The HerpeCide program is likely to move faster toward clinical trials, because of the inherent advantages in the nature of topical drug development.”
According to company data, the current market size for herpes simplex virus treatments is in excess of $2 billion annually. Additionally, NNVC estimates that a drug that offers superior results to those provided by existing therapies could result in significantly expanded market size. Existing therapies against herpes simplex virus – including acyclovir, famciclovir and chemically-related drugs – must be taken orally or by injection and are largely ineffective as topical agents.
By developing HerpeCide in the form of topical drugs to control herpes outbreaks for oral lesions, genital lesions and shingle outbreaks, NNVC is targeting an immense market. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one out of every six people between the ages of 14 and 49 have genital herpes. Similarly, roughly 80 percent of all Americans have oral herpes.
As NNVC continues to advance its clinical pipeline, the company is in a favorable position to promote sustainable industry growth. For prospective shareholders, the combination of a strong nanomedicine intellectual property portfolio and a promising development pipeline makes NNVC an intriguing investment opportunity moving forward.
For more information, visit www.nanoviricides.com
