BioSig Technologies subsidiary ViralClear adds veteran drug developer to its scientific advisory board

BioSig Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:BSGM) subsidiary ViralClear Pharmaceuticals Inc has added Michael Sofia to its scientific advisory board, the company announced Wednesday. 

Sofia has brought multiple drugs into clinical development for the treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases, according to the company. He is an inventor on more than 54 US patents and the principal inventor of sofosbuvir, part of a combination therapy to treat hepatitis C.

Currently, Sofia is a co-founder and serves as chief scientific officer of Arbutus Biopharma Inc, a company working to cure hepatitis B.

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“With Mike’s addition to our scientific advisory board, we believe that we have a very well rounded group of experts who can provide ViralClear with guidance on how to best proceed in addressing the current COVID-19 pandemic and other significant viral infections of special interest,” acting chief medical officer and head of ViralClear Jerome Zeldis said in a statement.

ViralClear formed the board in July to review its drug discovery and development and counsel the company on its mission to control emerging infections and viral diseases, including the coronavirus (COVID-19).

“I am excited to join the scientific advisory board of ViralClear,” Sofia said. “The COVID-19 pandemic has called the drug development community to action to find therapies that can combat this disease.”

The company recently began enrolling patients for a Phase 2 trial of merimepodib — an orally administered drug that has demonstrated broad-spectrum in-vitro antiviral activity, including strong activity against SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes the COVID-19 disease) in cell cultures.

“ViralClear’s merimepodib is a novel agent with a new mechanism of action that has the potential to help address this pandemic now,” Sofia added. “I am eager to bring my expertise in antiviral drug development to help ViralClear in its efforts to develop merimepodib for the fight against COVID-19.”

Contact Andrew Kessel at [email protected]

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Story by ProactiveInvestors