Unrivaled Potency - As viruses tend to produce limited amounts of protein, nature dictates that these proteins be exquisitely potent.  Indeed, Viron's product candidates are proving to be some of the most potent anti-inflammatories observed, with potencies in the pM range and below.  Extremely high potency is important in deriving favorable dosing schemes and, importantly, a favorable safety profile as very small amounts of drug substance are needed to achieve the desired pharmaceutical effect.

Convincing In Vivo Data - Through extensive testing in a number of different animal species, Viron has demonstrated a favorable therapeutic window for several of its compounds. Compared to other protein therapeutics currently on the market, the Company believes that its drugs will compare favorably in terms of their entire safety & efficacy profile.  Viron's lead compound, VT-111, has been shown to be highly effective in a number of inflammatory disease models, including restenosis, transplant and rheumatoid arthritis.

Numerous classes of anti-inflammatory proteins target different steps within the inflammation cascade. These classes include proteins that block proteinases, inhibit secreted factors (chemokine, cytokines, growth factors) and bind novel cell surface receptors involved in the progression of inflammation. This multiplicity permits Viron to broaden its anti-inflammatory approach across a variety of molecular targets and to prevent dependence on a single step in the inflammatory cascade. This redundancy also permits Viron to diversify its product pipeline to include a variety of therapeutics with differing modes of anti-inflammatory action.

Viron's utilization of viral proteins represents a novel class of therapeutic drugs that it expects will soon be commercialized for the benefit of humans. This approach offers unparalleled benefits and advantages over conventional drug development strategies (small molecule therapy, monoclonal antibodies and gene therapy). Viron's approach harnesses the evolutionary programs of viruses to identify potent biologics thus eliminating the need for high-through put screening. Using these viral proteins is therefore a strategic advantage to Viron as it minimizes the time and effort required to generate an efficacious lead compound.