Moleculin Biotech's Potential Antiviral Compound Selected For NIAID-Funded Animal Studies

Moleculin Biotech Inc MBRX announced that its WP1096 molecule would be evaluated in animal studies by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Moleculin studies WP1096 as a novel potential therapy for a broad spectrum of viruses, including arenaviruses.
WP1096 is a compound within the WP1122 portfolio.
WP1122 molecule is a prodrug of 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), and 2-DG has been approved outside the U.S. for use as a treatment for COVID-19.
Moleculin is currently conducting a Phase 1 trial of analog WP1122 (a prodrug of 2-DG) in healthy volunteers in preparation for a Phase 2 trial in COVID-19 patients.
Between its antiviral effort with WP1122 and a range of oncology-focused initiatives, Moleculin cannot allocate significant resources to developing WP1096.
However, considering the promising WP1096 in vitro activity in a range of potentially deadly viruses previously demonstrated, Moleculin believes that WP1096 would be a good candidate for animal testing in arenavirus models where there is a significant unmet need.
If WP1096 demonstrates significant efficacy in the requested animal studies, Moleculin intends to revise its current development strategy to accelerate development work on WP1096.
Price Action: MBRX shares are down 1.84% at $1.13 on the last check Tuesday.