Virios Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIRI), a development-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing novel, combination antiviral therapies to treat debilitating chronic diseases, including fibromyalgia ("FM"), has announced commencement of enrollment in its exploratory Long-COVID trial. This study is supported via an unrestricted investigational grant to the Bateman Horne Center, a non-profit, interdisciplinary Center of Excellence advancing the diagnosis and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome ("ME/CFS"), FM, post-viral syndromes, and related comorbidities.
The trial will assess the safety and effectiveness of antiviral therapy with Virios’ second development combination, IMC-2 (valacyclovir + celecoxib), to treat the symptoms associated with Long-COVID, including fatigue, pain, sleep disruption, anxiety, depression and cognitive function and overall health improvement. IMC-2 is a novel, dual mechanism antiviral therapy combining valacyclovir and celecoxib designed to synergistically suppress herpes virus activation and replication, with the end goal of reducing viral mediated disease burden.
"The dosing of the first patient in this exploratory trial marks an important milestone for Virios, as we develop new combination antiviral therapies to improve care standards for patients suffering from virally mediated diseases," said Greg Duncan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Virios Therapeutics. "Virios has unique potential to create significant value in meeting the medical need for a new treatment that could help the estimated 100 million people worldwide who are suffering from Long-COVID symptoms."
Virios Therapeutics (Nasdaq: VIRI) is a development-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing novel antiviral therapies to treat debilitating chronic diseases, such as fibromyalgia ("FM"). Immune responses related to the activation of tissue resident herpes have been postulated as a potential root cause triggering and/or sustaining chronic illnesses such as FM, irritable bowel disease, chronic fatigue syndrome and other functional somatic syndromes, all of which are characterized by waxing and waning symptoms with no obvious etiology. Our lead development candidate ("IMC-1") is a novel, proprietary, fixed dose combination of famciclovir and celecoxib designed to synergistically suppress herpes virus replication, with the end goal of reducing virally promoted disease symptoms. IMC-1 has been granted fast track designation by the FDA and is currently being tested in a multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial ("FORTRESS"), designed to potentially serve as a supportive registrational study. Evidence of IMC-1’s efficacy on a broad spectrum of FM outcome measures was previously demonstrated in a Phase 2a clinical trial.
The Company is pursuing a second development candidate, IMC-2 (valacyclovir and celecoxib), as a potential treatment for managing the fatigue, sleep, attention, pain, autonomic function and anxiety associated with Long-COVID, otherwise known as Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC). The Company has provided Bateman Horne Center ("BHC") with an unrestricted investigational grant to conduct this study. BHC is a non-profit, interdisciplinary Center of Excellence advancing the diagnosis and treatment of chronic fatigue disorders, FM, post-viral syndromes, and related comorbidities.
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