In 2014, the largest Ebola epidemic in history struck countries in West Africa, catching the attention of media outlets around the world and reaffirming the destructive power that viruses can have on unprepared civilizations. Viruses come in many shapes and sizes. From relatively inert bugs such as the common cold to dangerous, life-threatening infections like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), influenza and dengue fever, viruses are found in almost every ecosystem on Earth, making them the most abundant type of biological entity on the planet.
Unlike bacteria, which are mostly harmless and often aid in the function of the human body, viruses are almost always bad news. These tiny organisms attach themselves to healthy cells within the body and, in many cases, reprogram those cells to create new viruses until the cells eventually burst and die. In other cases, viruses transform normal, healthy cells into malignant or cancerous cells. Although viruses are small (the largest virus is still smaller than even the smallest of bacteria), they are vicious. Most viruses target specific cells within the body, such as those in the liver, respiratory system or blood, causing serious, long-term health risks for infected individuals.
Because viruses hijack native cells and reprogram them in order to spread, effectively targeting a virus without harming its host organism’s cells is particularly difficult. When combined with viruses’ ability to mutate in order to counter attempts to inhibit their development, creating a universally effective antiviral medication becomes nearly impossible. Instead, pharmaceutical companies dodge mutations by taking preemptive measures. By administering small, relatively safe doses of viruses to patients, patients’ immune systems can be educated regarding particular viral infections, making future infections much less likely. These doses are known as vaccines.
Vaccines, much like viruses, come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies are continuing to develop and innovative this preemptive treatment option in an effort to keep up with major viral threats. Vaccines are often extremely effective. Measles, for example, is one of the leading causes of death among young children, according to the World Health Organization, but a single dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine, which was developed in 1971 by Merck (NYSE: MRK), is 93 percent effective at preventing the deadly virus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Not all vaccines are as consistently effective as the MMR vaccine, however. Influenza vaccines, such as those regularly developed by Sanofi (NYSE: SNY) and GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK), demonstrate the limitations of preemptive virus treatment. Because the influenza virus mutates very rapidly, flu shots are developed twice each year, but outbreaks of mutated strains still occur from time to time. To illustrate this, consider the 2009 flu pandemic, which involved the deadly H1N1 influenza virus, commonly known as swine flu. After patients are infected with an unforeseen virus mutation, vaccines are rendered totally ineffective, leaving biopharmaceutical companies to turn to alternative approaches to address these dangerous illnesses.
NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NNVC) is a nano-biopharmaceutical company that’s attempting to usher in a whole new era in medicine. The company’s innovative nanoviricide® antiviral therapeutics are nanomachines that are armed to destroy a particular type of virus. By programming information about a specific virus into the nanoviricide – similar to the postal address on an envelope – the company’s treatment fools a virus that’s already in a person into attaching to it. Shortly after attachment, the nanoviricide encapsulates the virus particle and absorbs its coat proteins. Without those proteins, the virus is unable to bind to a cell, rendering it neutralized and effectively destroyed.
Utilizing its versatile platform technology, NanoViricides is currently developing drugs against a number of viral diseases – including H5N1 bird flu, seasonal influenza, HIV, epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), hepatitis C, rabies, dengue fever and Ebola virus, among others. The company’s broad-spectrum nanoviricides, which it’s developing to combat several neglected tropical diseases, can bind to as many as 95 percent of known viruses, according to company data. NanoViricides’s most advanced product candidate, injectable FluCide™, is currently being studied in IND-enabling trials for the treatment of severe influenza with hospitalization.
In a quarterly report filed earlier this year, NanoViricides outlined its considerable progress in recent months. In particular, the company highlighted the advancement of its HerpeCide™ program, which it expects to contribute to the ongoing development of topical drugs to control herpes virus outbreaks for a number of indications – including oral lesions and shingles. Assuming positive results from its animal studies, NanoViricides expects these programs to result in extremely effective drugs.
According to its latest financial report, NanoViricides estimates that it has enough cash on hand to perform initial human clinical trials on at least one of its promising drug candidates, as well as advancing at least one additional candidate toward initial clinical trials. With HerpeCide and injectable FluCide currently leading the way, the company is in a favorable strategic position to put its promising therapeutic candidates to the test in the coming months, ahead of potential commercialization. For prospective shareholders, NanoViricides, complete with its innovative approach to targeted antiviral therapeutics, represents an extremely intriguing investment opportunity in the rapidly evolving biopharmaceutical industry.
For more information, visit www.nanoviricides.com
