NanoViricides Advances Oral Ebola Treatment Candidate NV-387 Toward Phase II Trial in DRC

NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE American: NNVC) has announced continued progress in advancing its broad-spectrum antiviral drug candidate NV-387 toward a Phase II clinical trial for the current Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The company’s proposed trial has received approval from the DRC Pillar Committee, and preparations are underway for ethics and regulatory submissions. NV-387 is the only orally administered Ebola treatment candidate currently under consideration for clinical trials, offering potential advantages in resource-limited outbreak settings where infusion-based therapies are difficult to deploy.

The DRC outbreak has expanded to 1,561 confirmed cases and 506 deaths as of July 6, according to NanoViricides. No approved treatment or vaccine currently exists for the Bundibugyo strain. The company believes NV-387’s broad-spectrum antiviral mechanism could provide activity against multiple ebolavirus strains. Notably, the same oral gummies formulation has already received approval from DRC regulators for a Phase II trial in Mpox, with product shipped to the country for that study.

NanoViricides’ business model relies on licensing technology from TheraCour Pharma Inc. for specific viral applications. The company’s lead drug candidate, NV-387, is also being developed for RSV, COVID-19, influenza, and other respiratory infections. The company has obtained broad, exclusive, sub-licensable field licenses from TheraCour for several human viral diseases, including HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B and C, Rabies, Herpes, Influenza, Dengue, Japanese Encephalitis, West Nile, Ebola/Marburg, and certain Coronaviruses.

The company emphasized that the path to drug development is lengthy and requires substantial capital. There can be no assurance that NV-387 will show sufficient effectiveness and safety in human clinical trials. However, the advancement toward a Phase II trial for Ebola represents a significant step in addressing an unmet medical need, particularly given the lack of approved treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.

For more details, the full press release is available at https://ibn.fm/LaNwF. Additional information about NanoViricides can be found at https://www.nanoviricides.com.