Pharmaceutical Business review

Avila to use NIAID preclinical services program to evaluate protease inhibitor

AVL-192 is an oral compound that silences the HCV protease (NS3) through irreversible covalent bonding to the target protein.

Preclinical data presented by Avila demonstrated that it selectively inhibits drug-resistant mutations of HCV protease.

NIAID-funded contractors are conducting preclinical studies of AVL-192 to help enable its future clinical development, and Avila retains exclusive rights to this compound, as part of an agreement.

Avila CSO Juswinder Singh said NS3 protease as a target of therapeutic intervention in HCV infection and the ability of AVL-192 to strike at known drug-resistant mutations will be a feature of next generation protease inhibitors.