In an all-cash transaction valued at €780 million (US$920 million), Asahi Kasei Corp. offered to buy Aicuris Anti-infective Cures AG, expanding its infectious disease portfolio with a marketed cytomegalovirus product and a herpes treatment nearing an NDA.
Current treatments for herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) mainly target the viral DNA polymerase, but resistance is becoming an increasing problem. By understanding how HSV-1 initiates replication, scientists hope to find new ways to intervene before this stage, which could potentially contribute to avoid resistance.
In a recent study published in Cell Reports, a team of scientists from Gilead Sciences Inc. and the University of Cincinnati detail the discovery and engineering of potent bispecific antibodies that can significantly reduce lesion development in a guinea pig model of recurrent genital herpes.
Gilead Sciences Inc. has synthesized indoline compounds acting as DNA helicase-primase complex (human herpes simplex virus) and viral replication inhibitors reported to be useful for the treatment of herpes virus infection.
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) causes chickenpox and shingles, while herpes simplex virus (HSV) is responsible for oral and genital herpes. Although current treatments mainly focus on inhibiting viral replication, there is a critical need for new therapies to address the limitations and side effects associated with existing treatments.
EG 427 SAS has closed a €27 million (US$28.3 million) series B round, which will fund it to completion of the first clinical trial of the lead gene therapy program, opening the way for its herpes simplex viral-vectored products to be developed in a range of chronic neuro-urology disorders.
Researchers from Excision Biotherapeutics Inc. and affiliated organizations have reported the development of a novel CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing therapy – EBT-104 – for the treatment of latent herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) keratitis.
Half of the individuals with genital herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection experience several recurrence episodes per year, especially if the causative agent is HSV type 2 (HSV-2). Standard-of-care viral DNA polymerase inhibitors are not fully effective in preventing recurrences and managing symptoms.
