Sorry COVID, there’s a slew of other diseases that require our attention as well. One of which is the highly contagious dengue fever.

Joy.

Transmitted by mosquitoes, dengue infects an estimated 390 million people each year. That number is set to rise as global warming sees mosquitoes travelling further than ever before.

Treatment for those infected with dengue is limited to symptom management. Without a specific curative medication the disease can progress to haemorrhagic fever, a severe form of dengue which can be fatal.

Tropical disease specialists Island Pharmaceuticals (ASX: ILA) is busy developing ISLA-101, a drug being repurposed for the prevention and treatment of dengue fever and other mosquito borne diseases. The lead asset is advancing towards Phase 2 clinical trials in dengue infected patients.

The drug has been granted a key patent from IP Australia as a method of viral inhibition. The patent is the third to be granted to the Company in the last year. Patents now cover Australia, the United States, Singapore and Brazil.

David Foster, CEO of Island Pharmaceuticals said: “We are excited about the grant of this additional Australian patent, which adds to Island’s growing intellectual property portfolio and supports the broad applicability of ISLA-101 for different mosquito borne viruses. Increasingly, we are seeing reports about mosquito borne viral outbreaks in the news. These continue to represent major unmet medical needs, creating a strong market for treatments like ISLA-101. This patent further protects our lead program, which is critical as we advance towards the commencement of clinical trials at the end of the year.”

Since its debut on the ASX in April of this year, the Company has put raised funds to good use, progressing their drug towards Phase 2 trials at the State University of New York and allowing further R&D.

The Company remains well funded with $6.5 million in the bank as at June 30, 2021.