Developing new oral medicines for COVID-19 and other coronavirus infections

Optimization of orally bioavailable inhibitors for the treatment of COVID-19 and other human coronavirus infections

NIH-funded research Venatorx Pharmaceuticals, INC. · NIH-11091599

This project aims to create new oral medications that can effectively fight COVID-19 and protect against future coronavirus outbreaks.

Quick facts

Grant typeSbir 2 grant
Study typeNIH-funded research
Funding institutionVenatorx Pharmaceuticals, INC. NIH-funded
Lab location1 site (Malvern, United States)
Project IDNIH-11091599 on NIH RePORTER

What this research studies

Researchers are working to improve a new type of medicine that can stop coronaviruses from entering human cells. The goal is to make these medicines more powerful against SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19, and other related viruses. They are also focusing on making sure these medicines are well-absorbed by the body and safe to use. This work is crucial because existing treatments like Paxlovid may not be suitable for everyone or effective against new virus variants. The ultimate aim is to identify a promising new drug candidate that can move forward into safety testing before human trials.

Who could benefit from this research

Good fit: Patients who might benefit from this research are those with COVID-19 or other coronavirus infections, particularly if current treatments are not suitable for them.

Not a fit: Patients without coronavirus infections would not directly benefit from this specific antiviral medication development.

Why it matters

Potential benefit: If successful, this work could lead to new, effective, and safe oral treatments for COVID-19 and other coronavirus infections, especially for patients who cannot use current medications.

How similar studies have performed: While existing oral antivirals for COVID-19 have shown success, this project focuses on developing new compounds with different mechanisms of action to address limitations of current options.

Where this research is happening

Malvern, United States

Researchers

About this research

  1. This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
  2. Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
  3. For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.
Conditions Acute Respiratory Distress SyndromeAdult Respiratory Distress Syndrome
Last reviewed 2026-06-13 by the Find a Trial editorial team. Information on this page is for educational purposes and is not medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals about clinical trial participation.