Four new topical anti-herpesvirus medicines under development by NanoViricides Inc. are set to undergo clinical trials on humans, potentially helping the company crack a billion-dollar market.
The new drugs have so far proved effective in treating cold sores, eye and genital herpes, and shingles when tested on animals, the Connecticut company said in a release. The company's medicines have reported survival rates of at least 80 percent in combating herpes simplex type 1 infections.
In the April 26 release, NanoViricides said its treatment for shingles, a disease caused when the dormant chicken pox virus reactivates, is closest to being ready for human testing. Shingles causes severe pain and may lead to nerve damage or blindness.
“There is no topical treatment for shingles,” the release said. “We believe this is an unmet medical need. The market size for a successful topical treatment for shingles could be in the billion dollar to multi-billion dollar range.”
Before the science behind NanoViricides’ treatments can be transformed into marketable drugs, they will be refined with the help of outside labs, including those at the University of Wisconsin, the University of Pittsburgh, SUNY-UMC and TransPharm Preclinical Solutions.
