Measles is Likely to Become Endemic - NanoViricides Is Testing a Drug to Combat It
NanoViricides announces progress in developing a potential treatment for measles as the disease threatens to become endemic in the USA. The company's drug candidate NV-387, a broad-spectrum antiviral, shows promise in targeting measles and related viruses like RSV.
Key developments:
- Stanford scientists predict measles becoming endemic due to declining vaccination rates
- 884 confirmed measles cases reported across 30 jurisdictions as of April 24, 2025
- 11% hospitalization rate with 3 fatalities
- NV-387 completed Phase I trials with no adverse events
- Company acquired measles virus and plans animal model studies
The company highlights vaccination challenges, including public trust issues post-COVID-19 and increasing population segments ineligible for vaccines. NV-387's mechanism mimics HSPG to act as a viral decoy, potentially effective against multiple viruses including measles, RSV, influenza, and COVID-19.
NanoViricides annuncia progressi nello sviluppo di un potenziale trattamento per il morbillo, mentre la malattia rischia di diventare endemica negli USA. Il candidato farmaco dell'azienda, NV-387, un antivirale ad ampio spettro, mostra promettenti risultati nel contrastare il morbillo e virus correlati come il RSV.
Sviluppi chiave:
- Scienziati di Stanford prevedono che il morbillo diventerà endemico a causa del calo delle vaccinazioni
- 884 casi confermati di morbillo segnalati in 30 giurisdizioni al 24 aprile 2025
- Tasso di ospedalizzazione dell'11% con 3 decessi
- NV-387 ha completato la fase I degli studi clinici senza eventi avversi
- L'azienda ha acquisito il virus del morbillo e pianifica studi su modelli animali
L'azienda sottolinea le difficoltà legate alla vaccinazione, inclusi problemi di fiducia pubblica dopo il COVID-19 e la crescita di segmenti di popolazione non idonei alla vaccinazione. Il meccanismo di NV-387, che imita l'HSPG per agire come esca virale, potrebbe essere efficace contro diversi virus tra cui morbillo, RSV, influenza e COVID-19.
NanoViricides anuncia avances en el desarrollo de un posible tratamiento para el sarampión, mientras la enfermedad amenaza con volverse endémica en EE. UU. El candidato a medicamento de la compañía, NV-387, un antiviral de amplio espectro, muestra potencial para atacar el sarampión y virus relacionados como el RSV.
Desarrollos clave:
- Científicos de Stanford predicen que el sarampión se volverá endémico debido a la disminución de las tasas de vacunación
- 884 casos confirmados de sarampión reportados en 30 jurisdicciones hasta el 24 de abril de 2025
- Tasa de hospitalización del 11% con 3 fallecimientos
- NV-387 completó los ensayos de Fase I sin eventos adversos
- La compañía adquirió el virus del sarampión y planea estudios en modelos animales
La empresa destaca los desafíos en la vacunación, incluyendo problemas de confianza pública tras el COVID-19 y un aumento en segmentos de población no elegibles para vacunas. El mecanismo de NV-387 imita el HSPG para actuar como señuelo viral, siendo potencialmente eficaz contra múltiples virus como sarampión, RSV, influenza y COVID-19.
NanoViricides는 홍역 치료제 개발에서 진전을 발표했으며, 미국에서 이 질병이 풍토병이 될 위협이 커지고 있습니다. 회사의 약물 후보 NV-387은 광범위 항바이러스제로서 홍역과 RSV 같은 관련 바이러스를 표적으로 하는 데 유망한 결과를 보이고 있습니다.
주요 발전 사항:
- 스탠포드 과학자들은 백신 접종률 감소로 인해 홍역이 풍토병이 될 것으로 예측
- 2025년 4월 24일 기준 30개 지역에서 884건의 홍역 확진 사례 보고
- 입원율 11%, 사망 3건 발생
- NV-387은 1상 임상시험을 부작용 없이 완료
- 회사는 홍역 바이러스를 확보하고 동물 모델 연구를 계획 중
회사는 COVID-19 이후 공공 신뢰 문제와 백신 접종이 불가능한 인구 증가 등 백신 접종의 어려움을 강조합니다. NV-387의 작용 기전은 HSPG를 모방해 바이러스 미끼 역할을 하며, 홍역, RSV, 인플루엔자, COVID-19 등 다양한 바이러스에 효과적일 수 있습니다.
NanoViricides annonce des avancées dans le développement d’un traitement potentiel contre la rougeole, alors que la maladie menace de devenir endémique aux États-Unis. Le candidat médicament de la société, NV-387, un antiviral à large spectre, montre des résultats prometteurs contre la rougeole et des virus apparentés comme le RSV.
Principaux développements :
- Des chercheurs de Stanford prévoient que la rougeole deviendra endémique en raison de la baisse des taux de vaccination
- 884 cas confirmés de rougeole signalés dans 30 juridictions au 24 avril 2025
- Taux d’hospitalisation de 11 % avec 3 décès
- NV-387 a terminé les essais de phase I sans événements indésirables
- L’entreprise a acquis le virus de la rougeole et prévoit des études sur modèles animaux
La société souligne les difficultés liées à la vaccination, notamment des problèmes de confiance du public après la COVID-19 et une augmentation des populations non éligibles à la vaccination. Le mécanisme d’action de NV-387 imite le HSPG pour agir comme un leurre viral, potentiellement efficace contre plusieurs virus dont la rougeole, le RSV, la grippe et la COVID-19.
NanoViricides meldet Fortschritte bei der Entwicklung einer potenziellen Behandlung für Masern, da die Krankheit in den USA droht, endemisch zu werden. Der Arzneimittelkandidat des Unternehmens, NV-387, ein Breitbandantiviral, zeigt vielversprechende Wirkungen gegen Masern und verwandte Viren wie RSV.
Wichtige Entwicklungen:
- Wissenschaftler der Stanford University prognostizieren, dass Masern aufgrund sinkender Impfraten endemisch werden
- Bis zum 24. April 2025 wurden 884 bestätigte Masernfälle in 30 Jurisdiktionen gemeldet
- 11 % Krankenhausrate mit 3 Todesfällen
- NV-387 hat die Phase-I-Studien ohne unerwünschte Ereignisse abgeschlossen
- Das Unternehmen hat das Masernvirus erworben und plant Tierversuche
Das Unternehmen betont die Herausforderungen bei Impfungen, darunter Vertrauensprobleme in der Bevölkerung nach COVID-19 und wachsende Bevölkerungsgruppen, die für Impfungen nicht infrage kommen. Der Wirkmechanismus von NV-387 ahmt HSPG nach, um als virale Lockvogel zu fungieren, und könnte gegen mehrere Viren wie Masern, RSV, Influenza und COVID-19 wirksam sein.
- NV-387 completed Phase I clinical trial with no adverse events reported, demonstrating safety and tolerability
- NV-387 showed superior effectiveness compared to approved drugs against Influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and MPox in animal models
- Company has successfully acquired and grown Measles virus for animal model study
- NV-387 has potential dual-market application for both RSV and Measles, where no current drugs exist
- Company owns BSL2 Virology laboratory for in-house research capabilities
- No exact date projected for IND filing due to dependence on external collaborators
- Company requires substantial capital for drug development pathway
- Business model relies heavily on licensing technology from TheraCour Pharma
- No guarantee of successful clinical trials or pharmaceutical product development
- Current research findings do not indicate FDA evaluation of safety or effectiveness
Insights
NanoViricides advances measles program to animal testing phase using its Phase I-tested NV-387 drug, addressing a growing public health concern.
NanoViricides has prepared for animal testing of its drug candidate NV-387 against measles virus. The company has successfully acquired and propagated measles virus in their BSL2 Virology laboratory and planned animal studies in specialized humanized hCD150 mice that are susceptible to measles infection. The study protocol has been submitted for approval, with testing expected to begin once they obtain the specialized animals in "a few weeks."
Their scientific approach leverages the fact that NV-387 targets heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG), which both measles virus and RSV use for infection. The company reports that NV-387 has already demonstrated efficacy against RSV in animal models and has completed Phase I human clinical trials with "no reported adverse events," indicating safety and tolerability. The company has also tested NV-387 against unrelated viruses (Influenza, COVID-19, and MPox) in animal models with positive results.
The timing aligns with concerning public health trends, as measles cases in the USA have increased by
It's important to note that while the company has completed virus preparation, actual testing for efficacy against measles has not yet begun. Successful animal studies would represent just one step in a lengthy development process before potential human trials specifically for the measles indication could begin.
NanoViricides' expansion of NV-387 into measles represents strategic pipeline development amid rising cases, though significant development work remains.
NanoViricides is pursuing a logical extension of its clinical-stage asset NV-387 into measles treatment, representing an efficient development strategy. Rather than developing a completely new drug, the company is leveraging their existing platform and clinical safety data to target an additional indication, potentially reducing development risks and costs.
The company's approach addresses an unmet medical need, as the article explicitly states "there is currently no drug for RSV or for Measles." This creates a clear market opportunity, particularly as measles cases rise and vaccination rates decline. The hospitalization rate of
From a development perspective, NV-387 has already achieved important milestones, including completed Phase I human clinical trials demonstrating safety and tolerability. While these trials weren't specific to measles, the established safety profile could potentially streamline development for this new indication.
The company's platform technology is designed to create antivirals that viruses "cannot escape," potentially addressing the challenge of viral mutations. This broad-spectrum approach is demonstrated by NV-387's reported efficacy against multiple unrelated viruses in animal models.
While this news represents progress in the development program, investors should note that the company is still preparing for animal testing for the measles indication, with significant development work remaining before potential commercialization. The article provides no financial details or specific timelines for clinical development beyond the immediate animal testing plans.
SHELTON, CT / ACCESS Newswire / April 29, 2025 / NanoViricides, Inc., a publicly traded company (NYSE Amer.:NNVC) (the "Company"), and a leading global pioneer in the development of broad-spectrum antivirals based on host-mimetic nanomedicine technology that viruses cannot escape, provides further details on its Measles drug development program herewith.
Measles is likely to become endemic in the USA, according to modeling conducted by Stanford scientists (https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2025/04/measles-vaccination.html). The model primarily bases this conclusion on the declining rates of measles vaccination in the USA, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic. If the vaccination rates continue to decline, measles virus could become endemic, that is circulating in the population, within a few years.
To date, only effective drugs have brought or maintained endemic or circulating viruses under control. There are no vaccines for herpes viruses, HIV or hepatitis C virus. Yet, successful drugs have helped patients to be cured (HCV), or recover from episodes (HSV), or at least maintain healthy lifespan (HIV) without any vaccines.
"We believe we already have a drug that is very likely to be effective against measles virus," said Anil R. Diwan, PhD, President and Executive Chairman of the Company, explaining, "NV-387 is a first-ever broad-spectrum antiviral that is capable of attacking over 90
"We have acquired the Measles virus and we have now completed growing the virus in the small quantities required for conducting an animal model study," added Dr. Diwan, "We can now determine how effective NV-387 would be against the Measles virus. We are highly enthused to perform this study by the fact that NV-387 was able to cure lethal lung infection by the related RSV in an animal model. There is currently no drug for RSV or for Measles, and NV-387 could work against both viruses!"
The Company has its own BSL2 Virology laboratory where the measles virus purchased from a standard biologics source was propagated in cell cultures. The Company has planned an animal model study in humanized hCD150 (h-SLAP) mice that are uniquely susceptible to Measles virus infection. The study protocol has been submitted to the IACUC for approval. The Company will be able to conduct the study after the specialized animals can be obtained, which may take a few weeks.
Although there is a successful vaccine for measles, there are several reasons why vaccination rates are declining. First and foremost is the fear of side effects. Even if the side effects are uncommon, what parents would want their child to become part of the unfortunate statistic? Secondly, there is a lack of public trust fomented by the aggressive and dogmatic behavior of agencies pushing compulsory vaccination without regard to the condition of the individual; policies that reached a crescendo during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, during this pandemic, the misinformation and inaccurate science propagated by scientists in charge has been utterly unscientific and irrational, leading to a major loss of public trust that would not be readily reversed. Thirdly, there is a wish-wash effort at collecting side effects data upon vaccination that is based on "voluntary" submissions wherein physicians casually refuse to document and submit any side effects observed by the child's parents unless a strict causality of the vaccine can be demonstrated - a practically impossible bar, given the time lag between the vaccination and potential side effects which can be even many months for a live attenuated virus vaccine such as Measles.
Most importantly, there is genuinely a large and increasing proportion of population that is not eligible for vaccination or that would not respond to vaccines due to immune system problems ranging from allergies to frank immune-compromise; problems that are correlated with the increasing rates of chronic diseases such as diabetes, obesity, and neurological syndromes.
Thus, maintaining a population vaccination rate of
Thus, development of an antiviral drug against Measles must become a top priority if the Measles virus is to be kept under control.
"A drug for measles is at present a completely missing link in the response to measles virus outbreak," said Anil R. Diwan, Ph.D., President & Executive Chairman of the Company, declaring, "Viral spread cannot be contained without an effective drug to minimize illness and stop the virus transmission from the patients."
NanoViricides already has a clinical stage broad-spectrum antiviral drug NV-387 that may be effective for treating Measles infection. NV-387 was found to cure lethal RSV infection in an animal model. Measles virus is related to RSV, and both use the heparan sulfate proteoglycan (HSPG) for infection. NV-387 mimics HSPG, presents itself as a decoy to the virus, and is capable of destroying the virus particle thereby stalling the continuous infection and spread of virus in the body. This provides strong rationale for use of NV-387 to combat Measles virus.
NV-387 has already completed a Phase I human clinical trial with no reported adverse events, indicating excellent safety and tolerability. Additionally, NV-387 was found to be substantially more effective than approved drugs (where available) against Influenza, COVID-19, RSV, and MPox in relevant animal models. These four unrelated viruses have in common the fact that they all use HSPG for infection.
Measles cases in the USA have continued to rise this year, and the number of jurisdictions has continued to expand. As of April 24, 2025, a total of 884 confirmed measles cases were reported by 30 jurisdictions, an increase of
As discussed in prior press releases, NV-387 is expected to remain an effective treatment even as viruses mutate.
NanoViricides, Inc. (the "Company") (www.nanoviricides.com) is a publicly traded (NYSE-American, stock symbol NNVC) clinical stage company that is creating special purpose nanomaterials for antiviral therapy. The Company's novel nanoviricide™ class of drug candidates and the nanoviricide™ technology are based on intellectual property, technology and proprietary know-how of TheraCour Pharma, Inc. The Company has a Memorandum of Understanding with TheraCour for the development of drugs based on these technologies for all antiviral infections. The MoU does not include cancer and similar diseases that may have viral origin but require different kinds of treatments.
The Company has obtained broad, exclusive, sub-licensable, field licenses to drugs developed in several licensed fields from TheraCour Pharma, Inc. The Company's business model is based on licensing technology from TheraCour Pharma Inc. for specific application verticals of specific viruses, as established at its foundation in 2005.
Our lead drug candidate is NV-387, a broad-spectrum antiviral drug that we plan to develop as a treatment of RSV, COVID, Long COVID, Influenza, and other respiratory viral infections, as well as MPOX/Smallpox infections. Our other advanced drug candidate is NV-HHV-1 for the treatment of Shingles. The Company cannot project an exact date for filing an IND for any of its drugs because of dependence on a number of external collaborators and consultants. The Company is currently focused on advancing NV-387 into Phase II human clinical trials.
The Company is also developing drugs against a number of viral diseases including oral and genital Herpes, viral diseases of the eye including EKC and herpes keratitis, H1N1 swine flu, H5N1 bird flu, seasonal Influenza, HIV, Hepatitis C, Rabies, Dengue fever, and Ebola virus, among others. NanoViricides' platform technology and programs are based on the TheraCour® nanomedicine technology of TheraCour, which TheraCour licenses from AllExcel. NanoViricides holds a worldwide exclusive perpetual license to this technology for several drugs with specific targeting mechanisms in perpetuity for the treatment of the following human viral diseases: Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV/AIDS), Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), Hepatitis C Virus (HCV), Rabies, Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV-1 and HSV-2), Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV), Influenza and Asian Bird Flu Virus, Dengue viruses, Japanese Encephalitis virus, West Nile Virus, Ebola/Marburg viruses, and certain Coronaviruses. The Company intends to obtain a license for RSV, Poxviruses, and/or Enteroviruses if the initial research is successful. As is customary, the Company must state the risk factor that the path to typical drug development of any pharmaceutical product is extremely lengthy and requires substantial capital. As with any drug development efforts by any company, there can be no assurance at this time that any of the Company's pharmaceutical candidates would show sufficient effectiveness and safety for human clinical development. Further, there can be no assurance at this time that successful results against coronavirus in our lab will lead to successful clinical trials or a successful pharmaceutical product.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current expectation regarding future events. Actual events could differ materially and substantially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors. Certain statements in this release, and other written or oral statements made by NanoViricides, Inc. are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company's expectations include, but are not limited to, those factors that are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in documents filed by the company from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities. Although it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors, they may include the following: demonstration and proof of principle in preclinical trials that a nanoviricide is safe and effective; successful development of our product candidates; our ability to seek and obtain regulatory approvals, including with respect to the indications we are seeking; the successful commercialization of our product candidates; and market acceptance of our products.
The phrases "safety", "effectiveness" and equivalent phrases as used in this press release refer to research findings including clinical trials as the customary research usage and do not indicate evaluation of safety or effectiveness by the US FDA.
FDA refers to US Food and Drug Administration. IND application refers to "Investigational New Drug" application. cGMP refers to current Good Manufacturing Practices. CMC refers to "Chemistry, Manufacture, and Controls". CHMP refers to the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use, which is the European Medicines Agency's (EMA) committee responsible for human medicines. API stands for "Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient". WHO is the World Health Organization. R&D refers to Research and Development.
Contact:
NanoViricides, Inc.
info@nanoviricides.com
Public Relations Contact:
ir@nanoviricides.com
SOURCE: NanoViricides, Inc.
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