Novira Therapeutics

Novira Therapeutics was an antiviral drug discovery company focused on creating first-in-class therapeutics for Hepatitis B (HBV) and HIV. The company was co-founded in 2009 by Dr. Ali H. Munawar and Dr. Osvaldo Flores, who served as President and Chief Scientific Officer. Dr. Munawar holds a PhD in X-ray crystallography and structure-based drug design, and was instrumental in the company's research operations. Dr. Flores previously directed antiviral research at Merck.

The company's primary business was the development of small-molecule, oral drugs that inhibit the viral capsid protein, a novel target involved in multiple stages of viral replication and persistence. This mechanism, focused on disrupting capsid assembly, offered a new approach to combatting these viruses, particularly for HBV which lacks a true cure and HIV which can develop drug resistance. Novira's lead candidate was NVR 3-778, a capsid assembly modulator for treating chronic HBV. By targeting the virus core, these drugs aimed to suppress virus production and replication efficiently.

The company operated on a cost-efficient model to reduce the time and expense of delivering drug candidates with clinical proof of concept. In August 2012, Novira secured $23 million in a Series A financing round to advance its pipeline. In November 2015, Johnson & Johnson announced a definitive agreement to acquire Novira Therapeutics, a transaction that was completed in December 2015. Following the acquisition, Novira became part of the Infectious Diseases & Vaccines Therapeutic Area of the Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson, which continued the development of NVR 3-778.

Keywords: antiviral drug discovery, hepatitis B, HIV, capsid assembly modulators, NVR 3-778, viral replication, biopharmaceutical, clinical-stage, Janssen, Johnson & Johnson acquisition, Osvaldo Flores, Ali Munawar, core protein inhibitors, first-in-class therapeutics, oral antivirals, infectious diseases, chronic HBV, virology, drug development