ATLANTA– Virios Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VIRI), a development-stage biotechnology company focused on advancing novel, combination antiviral therapies to treat debilitating chronic diseases, including fibromyalgia (“FM”), today announced commencement of enrollment in its exploratory Long-COVID trial. This study is supported via an unrestricted investigational grant to the Bateman Horne Center, a non-profit, interdisciplinary Center of Excellence advancing the diagnosis and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (“ME/CFS”), FM, post-viral syndromes, and related comorbidities.
The trial will assess the safety and effectiveness of antiviral therapy with Virios’ second development combination, IMC-2 (valacyclovir + celecoxib), to treat the symptoms associated with Long-COVID, including fatigue, pain, sleep disruption, anxiety, depression and cognitive function and overall health improvement. IMC-2 is a novel, dual mechanism antiviral therapy combining valacyclovir and celecoxib designed to synergistically suppress herpes virus activation and replication, with the end goal of reducing viral mediated disease burden.
“The dosing of the first patient in this exploratory trial marks an important milestone for Virios, as we develop new combination antiviral therapies to improve care standards for patients suffering from virally mediated diseases,” said Greg Duncan, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Virios Therapeutics. “Virios has unique potential to create significant value in meeting the medical need for a new treatment that could help the estimated 100 million people worldwide who are suffering from Long-COVID symptoms.”
