Emergent Biosolutions Inc. recently initiated a Phase 1b multiple ascending dose study to evaluate the safety and tolerability of UV-4B, the company’s novel antiviral candidate for the treatment of dengue viral infection.
Dengue is the leading cause of illness and death in the tropics and subtropics, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There are currently more than 100 endemic countries with 400 million new infections annually. There are also no available treatments for dengue at this time.
Emergent said it will be enrolling 40 healthy adults in U.S. sites, which follows a successful 2016 Phase 1a single ascending dose clinical study.
“Emergent is pleased to announce the initiation of our Phase 1b clinical study,” Adam Havey, president of Emergent’s biodefense division, said. “With Emergent’s sharpened focus on preventing and treating public health threats and emerging infectious diseases, we will leverage our growing anti-infectives platform technologies and expertise in development and manufacturing to help find solutions to these threats.”
UV-4B is the lead dengue virus therapeutic candidate in Emergent’ iminosugar library. Iminosugars are defined as small molecule therapeutics that target host glycosides enzymes, which lead to reduce virus infectivity.
Emergent Biosolutions is a global speciality biopharmaceutical company dedicated to developing, manufacturing, and delivering various medical countermeasures for both biological and chemical threats.