LONG BEACH, Calif., July 23, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one of the world's most cited and comprehensive scientific journals, has released a research article detailing the effectiveness of Anivive's GC376 in preventing the reproduction of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

While vaccines to help prevent COVID-19 are now expansively available in the United States, the need for post-infection treatment options is on the rise.

The PNAS article, "Postinfection treatment with a protease inhibitor increases survival of mice with a fatal SARS-CoV-2 infection," details a study that shows mice with fatal SARS-CoV-2 infections experienced reduced viral load and improved survival when treated with deuterated variants of GC376, an antiviral medication under development by Anivive Lifesciences.

All coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, contain a protease responsible for replication of the virus. GC376 is a protease inhibitor, designed to block the replication process and stop the virus from spreading.

For the study, mice infected with SARS-CoV-2 that developed lung pathology resembling that of severe COVID-19 in humans were given a series of deuterated variants of GC376 to evaluate the antiviral effect against SARS-CoV-2. Treatment was started 24 hours after infection. Study results show GC376 has excellent therapeutic efficacy as an antiviral agent against SARS-CoV-2.

"We are pleased to see more conclusive evidence that GC376 shows strong activity against the main protease, 3CLpro, in SARS-CoV-2 with a high therapeutic index," said Anivive Chief Medical Officer, David Bruyette. "GC376 continues to demonstrate in vitro and in vivo activity against many human and animal coronaviruses."

Anivive, a biotechnology company focused on pet health, has been developing GC376 since 2018 to treat a deadly cat disease caused by a coronavirus. Feline Infectious Peritonitis is the leading cause of death in kittens and young cats, affecting up to 1 in 300 cats worldwide.

The University of California in Davis conducted field tests for the use of GC376 in cats with FIP. GC376 resulted in a reversal of symptoms within 48 hours with no significant side effects.

GC376 has the potential to be a One Health medicine, providing therapeutic benefits to both pets and people. Anivive has filed a pre-Investigational New Drug request with the Food and Drug Administration to evaluate GC376 as a post-infection treatment of COVID-19 in humans.

"We hope to leverage existing animal work to accelerate the availability of effective COVID-19 therapeutics for humans," said Anivive CEO, Dylan Balsz. "With this additional exciting research in hand, we look forward to discussions with the FDA and advancing toward a clinical trial."

About GC376

GC376 is a broad-spectrum antiviral medicine under development by Anivive Lifesciences for therapeutic use in animals and humans. A first-in-class small molecule protease inhibitor, GC376 blocks 3CLpro, a protease common to many coronaviruses, with high therapeutic efficacy. Anivive licensed exclusive worldwide patent rights to GC376 from Kansas State University.

About Anivive

Anivive is reinventing the drug development process in pet pharma. Our proprietary software accelerates the delivery of new, affordable treatments for pets.

Backed by over $45 million in seed funding, Anivive has gained conditional approval for LAVERDIA™-CA1 (verdinexor), the first oral tablet to treat canine lymphoma and created a specialty sales force dedicated to supporting veterinarians. Anivive's pipeline includes 8+ first-in-class pharmaceuticals, biologics, and vaccines. For more information on how we address unmet needs for pets, visit anivive.com.

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SOURCE Anivive Lifesciences Inc.