Beech Tree Labs, Inc, has received US FDA approval its IND for a phase-1/2a clinical evaluation of BTL-TML-HSV, a novel therapeutic agent for treating recurrent oral herpes infections. The study will be a 210 patient, multi-site, placebo-controlled trial and is anticipated to begin later this summer.

According to WHO and CDC statistics, over 80 per cent of the population have oral herpes with about 20 per cent of these expressing symptoms. One of four adults has genital herpes, with the incidence steadily increasing.

Herpes simplex, the virus causing oral herpes, serves as the prototype of a Beech Tree Labs' approach that potentially addresses a broad spectrum of herpesvirus indications. The active agent is also embodied in a product candidate that recently received US FDA approval of an IND targeting influenza, presenting evidence of a growing Beech Tree anti-viral platform.

Beech Tree Labs is a privately held biopharmaceutical company specializing in discovery and early-stage development through phase-2 clinical trials, followed by licensing to larger pharmaceutical and biotech firms for late-stage evaluation and marketing.