Nonprofit drug development company starts GoFundMe for emergency funds to treat coronavirus

Today, Drug Innovation Ventures at Emory (DRIVE), a nonprofit biotechnology company owned by Emory University, launched a GoFundMe charity campaign to help accelerate testing for its antiviral compound that could potentially be used to treat the new coronavirus associated with the outbreak in China and spreading around the globe. While a related treatment, administered via injection, is currently being evaluated for COVID-19 in China, DRIVE's approach is centered around an oral pill. Having an effective treatment for COVID-19 in pill form would allow the treatment to be more easily distributed to patients around the globe, which is a vital component in ending the epidemic. DRIVE is developing the compound, designated EIDD-2801, which has shown efficacy against other coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus) and MERS-CoV (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus). To date, the research has been primarily funded by government agencies for the treatment of Influenza, coronavirus, chikungunya and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus. While great progress has been made due to this support, additional urgent funds are needed to accelerate testing and development in order to prove its safety and efficacy in humans and ultimately bring it to the general population.