NanoViricides (NYSE-A:NNVC) announced that its ultra-broad-spectrum antiviral drug candidate NV-387 demonstrated effectiveness in protecting lungs from damage from Influenza A H3N2 in a lethally infection mouse model.
Investors welcomed the news, sending shares of NanoViricides (NYSE-A:NNVC) up 11% to US$1.82 in early trade on Thursday.
The company said that animals treated with NV-398 orally or intravenously (IV) showed a “very limited” presence of infiltrating cell-killing immune cells known to cause lung damage in addition to direct lung damage from infected cell death caused by the virus itself.
Overall lung damage was “significantly reduced” by NV-387, it added.
Seven days after infection, treatment with oral NV-387 resulted in 31% lung infiltration by immune system cells and IV NV-387 had an even lower 22% infiltration rate, compared to an infiltration rate of 68% for the lungs of infected animals that were untreated, as determined by micro-histopathology of lung tissues using specific staining techniques.
Treatment with oral and IV NV-387 also “substantially” reduced the extent of mucus in the lung tissue. Mucus is secreted in response to a viral infection to try and clear the virus but results in a reduced lung capacity and can lead to pneumonia.
The mucus index value of oral NV-387 treatment was 53 and IV NV-387 treatment was 32, compared to 138 for infected untreated animals.
"We believe that the lung protection afforded by NV-387 is a very important result. The most severe cases that lead to hospitalization and fatalities in respiratory viral infections involve lung damage as an important factor," NanoViricides (NYSE-A:NNVC) CEO Dr Anil Diwan said in a statement.
"This was starkly evidenced during COVID-19 pandemic wherein the Delta variant that caused severe lung damage also caused the largest number of hospitalizations and fatalities. Influenzas, RSV, COVID can all cause severe lung damage resulting in fatalities."