With its broad-spectrum antiviral drug NV-387, NanoViricides (NYSE-A:NNVC) sees a future where patients with a range of viral diseases can access treatment as quickly as they can secure antibiotics for a bacterial infection.
“Today if a patient goes to the doctor with a viral infection, they are told to go home and relax. We are changing that,” CEO Dr Anil Diwan told investors during a presentation at The Microcap Conference last week.
Current antiviral treatments often require a specific diagnosis before administration, delaying effective intervention. NanoViricides seeks to change this with an empiric therapy model, where patients can receive treatment immediately upon their symptoms, without waiting for a diagnostic confirmation.
NV-387 has shown promise against a range of respiratory viruses, including COVID-19, RSV, influenza, and mpox, demonstrating efficacy in animal models that exceed existing treatments.
The drug takes a different approach from traditional antiviral therapies. Instead of targeting the virus directly, which often leads to drug resistance due to viral mutations, NV-387 mimics key host-cell structures that viruses rely on to infect cells.
"We copied the cell-side features the virus needs to bind to, something that does not change, no matter how much the virus mutates,” Diwan explained. “We have a technology that is completely different from what is out there and it is proving itself.”
NanoViricides has hired a Contract Research Organization (CRO) to conduct Phase 2 clinical trials for mpox in Central Africa, where a more severe strain is spreading. The trial is focused on the “both highly transmissible and highly pathogenic” Clade 1b, which affects children and immunocompromised adults.
“There is no drug for mpox and we are going in for Phase 2. If it is successful, it is completely a blockbuster,” Diwan said.
Diwan also highlighted the drug’s efficacy against RSV, for which there is no effective drug.
The NanoViricides CEO said the firm is in discussions with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases regarding NV-387 for RSV. If successful, this could lead to government-backed support for further clinical development.
In addition to NV-387, NanoViricides is also progressing with other antiviral candidates and technologies.
The company is exploring a range of antiviral treatments for various viruses, leveraging its unique nanomedicine platform. Notably, they are working on treatments for Dengue, HIV, and influenza, with the platform offering a novel way to address viral infections by mimicking the virus’ own structure to neutralize it.
“With these amazing capabilities we have already demonstrated, we can proclaim that nanoviruses are revolutionizing the treatment of viral diseases, just as antibiotics revolutionized the treatment of bacterial diseases,” Diwan said.