With Rising Variants of COVID and Bird Flu, the Single Broad-Spectrum Antiviral NV-387 Would be the Best Partner for Preparedness, Says NanoViricides' Dr. Diwan

SHELTON, CT / ACCESS Newswire / June 18, 2025 / Dr. Anil Diwan, President of NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE Amer.: NNVC ) (the "Company"), asserts that with new rising variants of COVID and Bird Flu, the single broad-spectrum antiviral drug NV-387 is well-positioned to support preparedness efforts and to combat potential pandemics.

Nimbus, a new COVID variant, officially NB1.8.1, is displacing the LP8.1 variant that was dominant until a few weeks ago in the USA (https://www.today.com/health/coronavirus/new-covid-variant-nb181-nimbu ...).

Nimbus has been rising globally since Spring according to WHO (https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/documents/epp/tracking-s ...).

Nimbus causes "razor-sharp" sore throat in some individuals, which is extremely painful and lingering for some time, in addition to the usual COVID symptoms.

Nimbus is more resistant to antibodies generated from previous vaccines, although prior vaccination or natural COVID infection is expected to still be protective in terms reduced severity compared to without such immunity according to CDC.

Nimbus is likely to be more transmissible than the previous variants. It belongs to the JN.1 subfamily of the Omicron family of SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Recently, the Influenza A H5N1 virus from a dairy worker in Michigan was found to be capable of airborne transmission in a ferret animal model ^[1] (https://www.freep.com/story/news/health/2025/06/05/h5n1-bird-flu-michi ...). This genotype B3.13 (clade clade 2.3.4.4b) virus in dairy cattle causes moderate severity disease in humans. In contrast, a highly pathogenic genotype D1.1 that is circulating in birds birds has led to one critical month-long illness in Canada and one death in the US signifying the potential for high morbidity and mortality from this genotype if it spreads in humans.

Additionally, a new genotype of H5N1 in Cambodia has caused four fatalities and fifth severe infection as of today (https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/avian-influenza-bird-flu/h5n1-avian-flu-inf ...).

NV-387, the broad-spectrum antiviral drug is expected to be effective against all of these bird flu viruses. NV-387 was found to be substantially superior to Tamiflu (Roche, Oseltamivir), Rapivab (Biocryst, Peramivir), as well as Xofluza (Shionogi/Roche, baloxavir) in lethal lung infection animal model of Influenza infection. All three of these existing anti-influenza drugs are known to be escaped by Influenza viruses by single point mutations in H or PB2 genes.