NanoViricides, Inc., said that it participated in a meeting of international experts on Dengue Therapeutics held by the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), of the World Health Organization (WHO), in Geneva, Switzerland on October 2, 2008.
“Viral load reduction was clearly recognized as an important goal in Dengue treatment at this meeting. Nanoviricides are well suited for Dengue treatment because they are specifically designed for viral load reduction. We believe that our novel nanomedicine-based direct antiviral approach will be of great value in combating the Dengue viruses,” said Anil R. Diwan, PhD, President of the Company, who participated in the meeting.
In another note, the Company clarified that the deadline for filing its Annual Report on Form 10-K, within the thirty day grace period allowed, is October 29, 2008. The Company, its counsel, public auditors and internal accountants, are committed to finalizing and filing the report accordingly. The Company expects to file the Annual Report shortly. When the Company files its annual report, the “E” will be removed from the Company’s symbol, changing it back to the normal NNVC. The presence of an “e” (i.e. NNVCE) does not constitute a trading halt or delisting of the company’s stock. It resulted from the original filing date for the annual report being exceeded.
NIAID experts see dengue as an important potential threat to the US public health (http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/jan2008/niaid-08.htm). The mosquito vectors that carry dengue viruses have been found in 36 or more states. Human infections in southern states have also been reported. Worldwide, dengue is among the most important reemerging infectious diseases with an estimated 50 to 100 million annual cases and 22,000 deaths. Dengue has become endemic in many tropical countries. (www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/15/healthscience/13brod.php).
Dengue fever is caused by one of four dengue virus types. Most people when they get the first infection have mild disease. A second infection with a different type of dengue virus can lead to a severe and life-threatening form of dengue disease, called severe dengue or dengue hemorrhagic fever. Thus people who have had a primary infection are primed for a severe form of the disease. Dengue severity is expected to continue to increase worldwide.
There are currently no drug treatments or vaccines against dengue.