Island at a glance

Island Pharmaceuticals is a drug repurposing company, focused on areas of unmet need for antiviral therapeutics to address infectious diseases.

We have a lead asset – ISLA-101 - that was initially developed by our wholly owned subsidiary, Isla Pharmaceuticals. ISLA-101 is a drug with a well-established safety profile, being repurposed for the prevention and treatment of dengue fever and other mosquito (or vector) borne diseases.

Dengue fever is the very definition of an unmet medical need. While 400 million humans are infected each year, it is thought that around 30-50% people with the disease do not present with symptoms, enabling the virus to spread within communities. Warming global climates are accelerating the presence of mosquito-borne viruses that can cause death to the Americas, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Pacific Islands.

There is no specific pharmaceutical treatment and the one vaccine which exists is available to a highly restricted audience. 

Island has repurposed ISLA-101, an antiviral oral drug to treat mosquito-borne viruses (eg dengue fever / Zika) and has commenced a Phase 2a/b Challenge clinical trial, incorporating both prophylactic (preventative) and therapeutic (treatment) arms across two cohorts.

Island is also focused on expanding its pipeline, and the Company is currently exploring the potential acquisition of a second antiviral molecule asset, called galidesivir, from BioCryst (NASDAQ: BCRX).

Galidesivir is a clinical stage antiviral molecule that has shown antiviral activity against over 20 RNA viruses, including Ebola, Zika and Marburg viruses.