Unither Virology, a subsidiary of United Therapeutics Corp., has been awarded a contract for up to approximately $45 million by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), for studies directed at the development of a broad-spectrum antiviral drug based on its glycobiology antiviral platform.

“The overall objective for this partnership with NIH is to develop a safe and orally available broad-spectrum antiviral drug to treat viruses such as dengue and influenza,” said  Martine Rothblatt, Ph.D., United Therapeutics’ Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “Dengue is a painful mosquito-borne tropical fever suffered by millions of patients worldwide each year, and this program may help provide a path to treatment. It is also rewarding to see how our industry generates dozens of jobs when the science data justify expanding a program to its next stage of growth.”

Unither Virology is the preclinical stage of developing a broad-spectrum antiviral drug to treat multiple viruses, such as dengue and influenza. Drug candidates have been shown to protect animals against multiple viruses, and the company is commencing a program to move toward potential clinical trials.

The company’s glycobiology antiviral agents are being developed under a research agreement with the Oxford Glycobiology Institute. The antiviral agents consist of iminosugar molecules, which enter host cells and inhibit the chemical pathways that viruses use to fold their proteins.

Because the iminosugars affect the host cell, rather than attacking the virus directly, they reduce the chance for drug-resistant virus strains to emerge. In laboratory tests, the iminosugar molecules have shown activity against several families of viruses. Unither Virology is conducting ongoing in vivo tests.