NanoViricides, Inc.
(OTC BB: NNVC.OB) (the "Company"), announced today that it has
signed a pre-clinical study agreement for the evaluation of NanoViricides' drug
candidate for herpes keratitis of the eye. The study will be conducted by Thevac,
LLC, a spin-off of the Louisiana State University (LSU), Baton Rouge, LA. It
will be performed in collaboration with the Division of Biotechnology and Molecular
Medicine at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, which administers the LSU-Tulane
Center for Experimental Infectious Disease Research (Director, K. G. Kousoulas,
PhD).
Herpes keratitis (herpes virus infection of the cornea) is a serious, potentially
blinding disease of the eye. It is the leading infectious cause of blindness
in developed countries and the most common infectious corneal disease in the
United States. It can often necessitate corneal transplantation. Herpes virus
infections and adenoviral infections of the cornea together constitute most
of the viral disease of the external eye. At present, there is no satisfactory
treatment that works for both adenoviral and herpesvirus keratitis/conjunctivitis.
The potential domestic market for a drug effective against all or most viral
infections of the external eye is variously estimated to be from $500M to billions
of dollars.
“We are very pleased to have a recognized expert like Dr. Kousoulas associated
with this study,” said Eugene Seymour, MD, MPH, Chief Executive Officer
of NanoViricides, Inc., adding, “This will provide us with independent
results for the nanoviricide™ drug candidates against viral diseases of
the external eye. Separate studies are expected to begin shortly in collaboration
with a pharmaceutical company.”
“The NanoViricides technology appears to be very promising for treating
a variety of viral diseases including influenza,” says Dr. Kousoulas.