Hyundai Bioscience innovates multi-treatment drug for mosquito-borne viral infections

Hyundai Bioscience, under the leadership of CEO Oh Sang-gi, has announced a significant breakthrough in the fight against mosquito-borne diseases. The company has developed a multi-treatment drug utilizing niclosamide as the primary active ingredient, effective against a range of viruses including dengue, Zika, Chikungunya, and Yellow Fever. This development comes as Hyundai prepares for a pivotal dengue fever basket clinical trial in Brazil, aiming to address one of the most pressing public health concerns globally.

The new treatment is designed to maintain a blood concentration of niclosamide that can inhibit virus proliferation by 50% across various diseases, an essential feature given the rapid progression of these viruses if not treated promptly. The drug’s enhanced bioavailability, achieved through Hyundai’s patented technology, allows it to effectively combat multiple viruses, which often share similar transmission vectors and symptoms.

Currently, there are no effective treatments for dengue fever, which is caused by four different virus serotypes, each with unique challenges. Hyundai Bioscience’s innovative formulation is the first of its kind to maintain effective niclosamide levels against all dengue serotypes and other viruses, providing a promising new tool in the global fight against these infectious diseases.

Hyundai Bioscience has transformed the multi-treatment antiviral into a tablet form, simplifying mass production and logistics, crucial for rapid deployment in endemic regions. The upcoming basket clinical trial in Brazil, managed by Hyundai Bioscience USA, will employ a novel approach to early treatment and assessment of the drug’s efficacy across multiple viral infections simultaneously.

Kim Kyung-il, CEO of Hyundai Bioscience USA, emphasized the urgency and broader public health implications of their work: “With the development of a multi-treatment drug candidate capable of simultaneously treating various mosquito-borne viral infections such as dengue fever, we plan to conduct the basket clinical trial in Brazil as soon as possible. Through expedited regulatory processes in Brazil, we aim to supply the treatment at an affordable price to patients suffering from dengue fever worldwide.”