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news.Avi BioPharma, a developer of RNA-based drugs, has received the second of two key US patents covering the company's candidate drug for the treatment of Ebola Zaire infection.
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The patents cover composition and methods to target the Ebola virus VP35 protein with a range of PMOplus compounds. The patents have an expiration date of October 31, 2025.
Avi has received clearance from the FDA for the investigational new drug application filed for AVI-6002. Preclinical results of AVI-6002 demonstrate reproducible and high rates of survival in non-human primates challenged with a lethal infection of the Ebola Zaire virus. This research was conducted in collaboration with the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases, a co-assignee on the patents.
Leslie Hudson, president and CEO of Avi BioPharma, said: “These issued patents cover a key target of our compound and helps protect this novel mechanism of action. We believe the new chemistry could be highly applicable to viruses such as influenza and hepatitis C whose error-prone replication leads to high rates of mutation and drug resistance.”