Tuesday, March 22, 2016

NanoViricides (NNVC): Market for HerpeCide™ and DengueCide™ Estimated at $17 Billion

Most people are surprised to find out that two types of herpes viruses — the one that causes cold sores and the one that causes chickenpox — can cause a condition called herpetic eye disease. Unlike a separate virus that causes genital herpes, herpetic eye disease is not sexually transmitted.

The recent presentation by the CEO of NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE MKT: NNVC), Eugene Seymour MD, MPH, at Biotech Showcase 2016 illustrated how the company is currently moving full speed ahead with human trials for its lead virucidal herpes (of the eye/cornea) keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) treatment, HerpeCide™. Human clinical trials are currently on-track to begin late this year or in early 2017, and commercially-available HerpeCide would be a most welcome addition to the healthcare system’s existing biomedical arsenal, as ocular herpetic disease in general is a serious challenge for both optometrists and patients.

Herpes keratitis is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the Western world and ultimately requires a corneal transplant when it has progressed to the stage of blindness. Corneal transplant is a difficult procedure that can often fail and the procedure can cost as much as $24,400 on average, according to actuarial intelligence giant Milliman. The major herpes viruses that cause ocular disease (simplex and zoster) quite often bring about immunologic reactions in the host that outlive any active infection as well, meaning that the latent demand for a real solution is considerably larger than the baseline market metrics would indicate.

One of the viruses that causes herpetic eye disease is called the varicella-zoster virus. It is the same virus that causes chickenpox and shingles. When this virus affects the eye, it is called herpes zoster ophthalmicus.

Herpes keratitis is a viral infection of the eye caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two major types of the virus. Type I is the most common and primarily infects the face, causing the familiar “cold sore” or “fever blister.” Type II is the sexually transmitted form of herpes, infecting the genitals.

The combined estimated market size for NanoViricides’s antiviral eye drops designed to fight conjunctivitis/keratitis, its HerpeCide™ indication for shingles, as well as ocular and genital herpes (note that HSV-1 has also been linked to Alzheimer’s), and its DengueCide™ indication to combat Dengue arboviruses (West Nile, Yellow Fever, Japanese B Encephalitis), are in the neighborhood of $17 billion.

While both Type I and Type II herpes can spread to the eye and cause infection, Type I is by far the most frequent cause of eye infections. Infection can be transferred to the eye by touching an active lesion (a cold sore or blister) and then your eye.

Type I herpes is very contagious and is commonly transmitted by skin contact with someone who has the virus. Almost everyone — about 90 percent of the population — is exposed to Type I herpes, usually during childhood.

After the original infection, the virus lies in a dormant state, living in nerve cells of the skin or eye. Reactivation can be triggered in a number of ways, including: stress; sun exposure; fever; trauma to the body (such as injury or surgery); menstruation; and certain medications.

Once herpes simplex is present in the eye, it typically infects the eyelids, conjunctiva (the thin, filmy, mucous membrane that covers the inside of the eyelids and the white part of the eye) and cornea (the clear, front window of the eye). It may also infect the inside of the eye; however, this is much less common. The symptoms of herpes keratitis may include pain, redness, blurred vision, tearing, discharge and sensitivity to light.

If the infection is superficial, involving only the cornea’s outer layer (called the epithelium), it will usually heal without scarring. However, it if involves the deeper layers of cornea (which can happen after time), the infection may lead to scarring of the cornea, loss of vision and sometimes even blindness. Left untreated, herpes keratitis can severely damage your eye.

NanoViricides recently entered into an agreement with the University of Pittsburgh for the testing of its nanoviricides® drug candidates in standard animal models of ocular virus infections. Dr. Eric Romanowski, research director, will perform the research in the Charles T. Campbell Ophthalmic Microbiology Laboratory. Dr. Romanowski has extensive experience in ocular virus infections and anti-viral agents discovery.

These animal studies will evaluate the efficacy and potency of the company’s nanoviricides anti-viral agents in ocular viral infections. The goal of these studies is to help select clinical drug development candidates for treatment of ocular herpes keratitis in humans.

“We are very pleased to have the Campbell Laboratory join our efforts in developing a drug against Herpes Keratitis,” Eugene Seymour, MD, MPH, CEO of NanoViricides, stated in a recent news release, adding, “This is a renowned lab in the field of ocular infections with substantial experience in antiviral drugs development. We plan to perform IND-enabling efficacy studies of our anti-viral agents at the Campbell Labs.”

The Charles T. Campbell Ophthalmic Microbiology Laboratory is part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center’s Eye Center (UPMC Eye Center). The UPMC Eye Center in the Department of Ophthalmology of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine has one of the top basic and clinical research programs in the country. UPMC Eye Center’s research focuses on infectious disease, ocular immunology, molecular genetics and molecular biology of retinal disease, glaucoma and advanced diagnostic imaging technology development.

For more information, please visit the company’s website at www.nanoviricides.com


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