NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE American: NNVC), a clinical-stage antiviral drug developer, announced that its broad-spectrum antiviral candidate NV-387 warrants evaluation as a potential treatment option for the rapidly expanding Bundibugyo strain Ebola outbreak in Africa. The company highlighted the absence of approved vaccines or therapies specifically targeting this virus strain.
NV-387 employs a host-targeted antiviral mechanism and is available in an oral formulation, which the company said could offer potential advantages in outbreak settings where treatment delivery and healthcare worker safety are critical. The drug is already being prepared for a Phase II clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo for mpox, which could support near-term regional availability if found effective against Ebola.
NanoViricides noted that NV-387 is a broad-spectrum antiviral drug designed to treat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), COVID-19, long COVID, influenza, and other respiratory viral infections, as well as mpox/smallpox infections and even measles. The company is currently focused on advancing NV-387 into Phase II human clinical trials.
The company’s platform technology is based on the TheraCour® nanomedicine technology, licensed from TheraCour Pharma, Inc. NanoViricides holds a worldwide exclusive perpetual license to this technology for several drugs with specific targeting mechanisms for the treatment of various human viral diseases, including HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B and C, rabies, herpes simplex virus, influenza, dengue, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile virus, Ebola/Marburg viruses, and certain coronaviruses.
According to the press release, NV-387’s potential against the Bundibugyo strain comes at a time when the outbreak is expanding rapidly, and no specific treatments are available. The company’s oral formulation could simplify administration in resource-limited settings, reducing the need for intravenous infusions and minimizing exposure risks for healthcare workers.
The announcement follows the company’s ongoing work to prepare for a Phase II clinical trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo for mpox. If NV-387 proves effective against Ebola, the existing trial infrastructure could accelerate its availability in the region.
NanoViricides also noted that its drug candidate NV-CoV-2 (API NV-387) is designed for COVID-19 and does not encapsulate remdesivir, while NV-CoV-2-R encapsulates remdesivir within its polymeric micelles. The company believes that since remdesivir is already FDA-approved, NV-CoV-2-R may be an approvable drug if safety is comparable.
The company’s pipeline includes drugs against oral and genital herpes, viral diseases of the eye, H1N1 swine flu, H5N1 bird flu, seasonal influenza, HIV, hepatitis C, rabies, dengue fever, and Ebola virus, among others. Despite the promising potential, NanoViricides cautioned that the path to drug development is lengthy and requires substantial capital, and there is no assurance that any of its candidates will show sufficient effectiveness and safety for human clinical development.
For more information, visit the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/NNVC.
