Viriom

About Viriom

Viriom Inc., founded in 2009, operates as a late-clinical stage biotechnology company focused on developing and commercializing treatments for life-threatening viral infections and cancers. The company is headquartered in Rockville, MD, with a strategic presence in San Diego, CA, and a history of operations in Khimki, Russia. Viriom's funding includes grants and venture capital, with a notable grant of $5 million in September 2010 and a later stage VC round of $15.1 million in December 2017. Key investors include the Skolkovo Foundation, Torrey Pines Investment, and Pharmstandard.

The company's leadership includes Executive Chairman Nikolay Savchuk, who co-founded the life-science investment company Torrey Pines Investment and brings a background in physics and applied mathematics. This expertise in investment and science guides Viriom's strategy of developing a pipeline of affordable therapeutics for global markets. The business model centers on creating proprietary drugs and obtaining worldwide licenses for promising compounds, such as the exclusive license from F. Hoffmann-La Roche for its HIV treatment, Elpida® (elsulfavirine). Viriom mitigates risk by targeting registration and commercialization in developing markets across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where development costs can be lower and regulatory pathways potentially faster for breakthrough medicines. Revenue generation is anticipated through drug sales, licensing agreements, and partnerships, such as the 2019 agreement with P.T. Lloyd Pharma to manufacture and distribute Elpida® in Indonesia.

Viriom's product pipeline is robust, targeting a range of infectious diseases and oncology. A cornerstone product is Elpida® (elsulfavirine), a once-daily oral non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) for treating HIV-1, which has become a preferred first-line therapy in Russia. The company is advancing fixed-dose combinations of elsulfavirine and developing long-acting oral and injectable formulations for both treatment and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Beyond HIV, Viriom's portfolio includes treatments for Hepatitis B (HBV), influenza, and respiratory viruses like SARS-CoV-2. For instance, the company developed AV5124, a novel inhibitor for influenza, and launched a Favipiravir-based drug for COVID-19. In oncology, Viriom is investigating quisinostat for solid tumors, including platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and uveal melanoma.