Health experts are still bracing for a repeat of the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic, which claimed more than half a million lives in the U.S. “Cases of the disease almost completely disappeared over the summer, only to reappear in the autumn of 1918 with the vengeance which we all know,” points out World Health Organization spokesman Gregory Hartl. Recent school closings in New York underscore the need for continued vigilance.
Scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say there is a risk the virus could mutate over the summer into a more virulent form, perhaps by combining with the more lethal avian flu virus. With an effective swine flu vaccine still months away at best, there is widespread concern the virus could develop resistance to popular flu remedies like Tamiflu.
All of which explains why attention in the biopharmaceutical world is focusing on companies developing next-generation drugs with the potential to treat swine flu and its variants. Among the more promising therapeutics is Viprovex®, developed by Scottsdale, Arizona-based ImmuneRegen BioSciences. Recent studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of Viprovex as a stand-alone treatment and as an adjuvant, or enhancement, to vaccines that target new forms of influenza.
“We’re very encouraged by the results of pre-clinical trials of Virprovex and we think we have an excellent candidate for further development,” says ImmuneRegen CEO Michael K.. Wilhelm. “The compound seems to both eliminate influenza virus and tame the uncontrolled immune response called ARDS that can kill patients,” he adds.
As part of its development strategy, ImmuneRegen BioSciences is partnering with Ted M. Ross, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Vaccine Research, who will conduct further studies on Viprovex. The collaboration is one of many study partnerships the company is forging with industry and academic leaders in the field.
Viprovex is a derivative of another ImmuneRegen compound, Homspera®, a synthetic version of the body’s Substance P, which transmits signals from nerves to other cells. Homspera has been shown to regenerate and strengthen the immune system and enhance wound healing.
With the World Health Organization’s alert level currently at 5 -- one level below a full pandemic -- companies like ImmuneRegen BioSciences have suddenly stepped into the spotlight.
“This is definitely a right place at the right time kind of story,” admits ImmuneRegen CEO Wilhelm. “Especially since the manufacturability of Viprovex looks as good as its other benefits,” he adds.
Congress recently authorized more than $7 billion for flu pandemic preparedness. Although only a fraction of that went to drug companies, that hasn’t stopped investors from giving the vaccine sector a closer look. “Vaccines used to be unprofitable. But they’ve now demonstrated they can be billion dollar products,” Rahul Singvhi, CEO of vaccine startup Novavax, recently told BusinessWeek. ImmuneRegen’s Wilhelm agrees, noting: “I think without question people in both the scientific and investment communities are realizing that this is one of the hottest areas of biotech right now.”
