NanoViricides, Inc. Files Quarterly Report - Reports a Strong Cash Position Sufficient for Phase I Clinical Trials of its First Drug Candidate

WEST HAVEN, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NanoViricides, Inc. (OTC: NNVC) (the "Company"), has filed its quarterly report with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, February 14th, in a timely fashion. The submission can be downloaded from the SEC website at http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1379006/000114420413009225/0001144204-13-009225-index.htm

The Company reported that it had approximately $13.880M in cash and cash equivalents, and approximately $801,000 in prepaid expenses as of December 31, 2012, the end of the reporting quarter. The shareholder equity stood at approximately $15.612M. In comparison, the Company had approximately $12.930M in cash and cash equivalents, approximately $438,000 in prepaid expenses, and approximately $12.796M in shareholder equity as of September 30, 2012. The Company spent approximately $710,000 in Research and Development expenses (R&D) and approximately $533,400 in General and Administrative expenses (G&A) in the reported quarter. The Company’s rate of expenditure was in line with the Company’s budgeted targets. In addition, the Company has raised $6M from three family offices and a charitable foundation, subsequent to the reported period, as announced previously. The Company estimates that it has approximately $20M in hand including prepaid expenses after this raise.

The Company estimates that it currently has sufficient cash in hand to support operations for at least two years from reported period at the current rate of cash expenditure. NanoViricides, Inc. also estimates that it has sufficient cash in hand to support Phase I human clinical trials of its first drug candidate, a broad-spectrum anti-influenza drug in its FluCide™ program. The Company has neither any long term debt, nor any short term debt, other than working capital accounts payables. The Company’s estimates are based on its current rate of expenditure and also on certain approximate estimates for clinical development of its drug candidate as gleaned from discussions with various contract research organizations.

The Company reports that all of its drug development programs are progressing satisfactorily.

In particular, the Company is advancing its oral broad-spectrum anti-influenza drug candidate, NV-INF-2, towards IND-enabling studies. This may be the first ever nanomedicine drug of any kind that is active when administered orally. This drug is being developed for out-patient influenza cases, and may also be useful for influenza prophylaxis, as in use for the protection of health care workers.

In addition, the Company continues to develop its injectable anti-influenza drug, NV-INF-1, towards IND-enabling studies. This drug candidate has much greater activity than the oral drug, and is intended for use in hospitalized patients with influenza or potentially influenza-like illness. The Company believes it will be useable in immuno-compromised populations, and may receive an orphan drug classification for this indication. Both of these drugs in the anti-influenza FluCide™ program have demonstrated very high effectiveness in a lethal influenza animal model, routinely showing substantial superiority to oseltamivir (Tamiflu®), the current standard of care. The Company believes that these drugs will be useable against most if not all types of influenza viruses, including seasonal (such as H1N1, H3N2), epidemic (such as H1N1/2009 “swine flu”, H3N2/2012), novel strains, and bird flu (such as H5N1, various clades). In addition, both of these drugs have shown extremely good safety profile in limited animal studies. This strong safety profile has necessitated a substantial scale-up in the Company’s current synthesis capabilities prior to commissioning a formal GLP safety and toxicology (“Tox Package”) study. The Company is in the process of developing the necessary scale-up synthesis laboratory. In addition, the Company is also working on acquiring cGMP manufacturing capability for these and other nanoviricides drug candidates. The Company previously held a pre-IND meeting with the US FDA for its anti-influenza drug candidate, NV-INF-1, in the FluCide program on March 29, 2012. The Company believes it has received valuable input from the US FDA, applicable to the development of its anti-influenza drug candidates.

With the current strong cash position, the Company believes that it has sufficient funds available to perform the necessary IND enabling studies for its anti-influenza drug programs and to file an Investigational New Drug Application (“IND”) with the US FDA.

Including the Flucide program, the Company currently has six commercially important drug candidates in its pipeline. These include the aforementioned drugs against all Influenzas, HIVCide™, HerpiCide™, DengiCide™, and a broad-spectrum nanoviricide eye drop formulation against viral infections of the eye. These programs are based on the Company’s platform technology that enables specifically targeting a particular type of virus with a novel mechanism of action. In addition, the Company continues its other research and development programs. These include (a) broad-spectrum nanoviricides against a number of Neglected Tropical Diseases, and (b) its novel ADIF™ (“Accurate Drug In Field”™) technologies which promise a way to attack novel viruses, whether man-made (bioterrorism) or natural (such as SARS), before they cause a pandemic.

About NanoViricides:

NanoViricides, Inc. (www.nanoviricides.com) is a development stage company that is creating special purpose nanomaterials for antiviral therapy. The Company's novel nanoviricide® class of drug candidates are designed to specifically attack enveloped virus particles and to dismantle them. The Company is developing drugs against a number of viral diseases including H1N1 swine flu, H5N1 bird flu, seasonal Influenza, HIV, oral and genital Herpes, viral diseases of the eye including EKC and herpes keratitis, Hepatitis C, Rabies, Dengue fever, and Ebola virus, among others.

This press release contains forward-looking statements that reflect the Company's current expectation regarding future events. Actual events could differ materially and substantially from those projected herein and depend on a number of factors. Certain statements in this release, and other written or oral statements made by NanoViricides, Inc. are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements since they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which are, in some cases, beyond the Company's control and which could, and likely will, materially affect actual results, levels of activity, performance or achievements. The Company assumes no obligation to publicly update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the company's expectations include, but are not limited to, those factors that are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in documents filed by the company from time to time with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities. Although it is not possible to predict or identify all such factors, they may include the following: demonstration and proof of principle in pre-clinical trials that a nanoviricide is safe and effective; successful development of our product candidates; our ability to seek and obtain regulatory approvals, including with respect to the indications we are seeking; the successful commercialization of our product candidates; and market acceptance of our products.