Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

Eiger BioPharmaceuticals Announces HCV Synergy Data for Clemizole

[Clemizole is an old antihistamine that researchers at Stanford University turned up in brute-force testing of a compound library against the NS4B protein of HCV, which has not previously been pursued as a drug target. (Note: ACHN’s ACH-1095 inhibits NS4A, not NS4B.)

Eiger BioPharmaceuticals is a private biotech company that evidently has a collaboration with Stanford to develop Clemizole, but the details of the collaboration are not disclosed here (or anywhere in the public domain, as far as I know).

I consider Clemizole a very long longshot to succeed in HCV, although it does merit a brief mention in the “HCV: Most Likely to Succeed” compilation,]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Eiger-BioPharmaceuticals-prnews-1098495457.html?x=0&.v=1

›Publication describes high level of synergy of clemizole with protease inhibitor class

Source: Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc.
Thursday July 1, 2010, 8:30 am

PALO ALTO, Calif., July 1, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc., a biotechnology company developing antiviral therapies, announced today the publication of research from the lab of Stanford scientist and Eiger Founder, Dr. Jeffrey Glenn, M.D., Ph.D. and colleagues entitled, "The Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) NS4B RNA Binding Inhibitor Clemizole is Highly Synergistic with HCV Protease Inhibitors".

"This work demonstrates that clemizole can yield high-level synergy with the protease inhibitor class," said David Cory, President and CEO of Eiger. "Inclusion of clemizole in future anti-HCV cocktails represents an attractive paradigm for increasing virologic response rates and may minimize unwanted side effects and combat drug resistance to HCV protease inhibitors."

"Clemizole appears to be able to dramatically increase the in vitro efficacy of other agents such as the NS3 protease inhibitors in advanced clinical development," said Jeffrey Glenn, M.D., Ph.D., Founder of Eiger. "The addition of clemizole to regimens may allow protease inhibitors to be used at lower doses, thereby maintaining the desired antiviral efficacy while avoiding the toxicities associated with the protease inhibitors such as severe rash and anemia. Clemizole has the potential to be an ideal component of future anti-HCV cocktails."

About NS4B and Clemizole

Binding of the non-structural protein NS4B to the 3' terminus of the HCV negative RNA strand is a recently identified target for drug intervention. The requirement of this target for viral replication has been genetically validated. The two component nature of this target, involving interaction between NS4B and HCV-RNA, creates mutational constraints that should decrease resistance to pharmacologic inhibitors, compared to agents designed against a single component target such as the NS3 protease. Clemizole hydrochloride was identified as a specific inhibitor of NS4B-RNA binding. The anti-HCV activity of clemizole is currently being investigated across genotypes in multiple HCV clinical proof of concept trials as a cocktail component with standard of care medications.

About Eiger BioPharmaceuticals, Inc. www.eigerbio.com

Eiger is focused on the discovery and development of new antiviral agents against novel targets for the treatment of hepatitis virus infections. Eiger's pipeline includes repurposed clinical stage therapeutic agents as well as preclinical NCEs from discovery that exhibit antiviral activity against Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D, and other viruses. Eiger investors include InterWest Partners www.interwest.com and Vivo Ventures www.vivoventures.com.‹