What Viriom does

Viriom, Inc. is a privately-held, clinical- and commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company founded in 2009 and headquartered in San Diego, California, with operational offices in Rockville (Maryland), Moscow, Beijing, and a Hong Kong affiliate in build-out. The company focuses on developing and commercializing antiviral therapies for HIV-1, hepatitis B and C, COVID-19, and influenza, plus an oncology program (Quisinostat HDAC1 inhibitor) for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and other solid tumors. Its pipeline and commercial portfolio rest on an exclusive worldwide license from F. Hoffmann-La Roche covering the elsulfavirine/VM1500A compound family, supplemented by nanoparticle long-acting injectable (LAI) formulation technology, an in-licensed Quisinostat estate from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and over 20 patents and patent applications across nine antiretroviral candidates and PrEP/PEP programs.

The commercial core consists of three approved products: Elpida® (elsulfavirine 20 mg once-daily oral NNRTI), marketed in Russia and EAEU since June 2017 and listed on Russia's Vital and Essential Drugs List since September 2018; AGAPE® FDC (elsulfavirine + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate + emtricitabine), approved in Russia and EAEU in 2022; and Depulfavirine (DPV), a nanosphere long-acting injectable. Avifavir, the world's first favipiravir-based COVID-19 drug, received full market authorization in November 2020 and was distributed to over 1 million patients across 17 countries in 2020-2021. Developmental assets include VM1500A-LAI (Phase 2a, monthly/quarterly injectable), once-weekly oral elsulfavirine for PrEP/PEP (FDA IND accepted), VM3500 long-acting injectable INSTI (preclinical), AV5124/AV5125 influenza RNA-processing inhibitor (Phase 1 complete in November 2023), and Quisinostat (Phase II).

Viriom monetizes primarily through partner-driven commercialization: direct sales to government health authorities (notably Russia's federal and regional HIV programs), out-licensing and technology transfer agreements with regional pharma partners (e.g., P.T. Lloyd Pharma in Indonesia, Pratapa Nirmala-Fahrenheit for Avifavir), and OEM/manufacturing relationships (ChemRar Group for Favipiravir production, ChemDiv). Capital formation has combined equity rounds — including a $12.5M Pharmstandard investment in December 2017 and a $4.7M raise in October 2023 — with non-dilutive grant funding from The Skolkovo Foundation, NIH/NIAID, and Shaoxing (China) talent awards. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, but the company positions its products as affordable for both developed and developing markets.

Name

Viriom

Legal name

Viriom, Inc.

Website

https://viriom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Antiviral Pharmaceuticals

NAICS

Pharmaceutical Preparation Manufacturing (325412), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)

akta.pro primary industry

Infectious Disease & Antimicrobials Pharmaceuticals (HLAIAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Infectious Disease Specialty Pharmaceuticals (Non-vaccine) (HLAIACAM)

Keywords

• Antiviral drug development
• HIV therapeutics
• Antiretroviral therapy
• Infectious disease treatments
• Antiviral pharmaceuticals

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Branded Antiviral Drug Sales (Elpida® / Agape® / Avifavir): Direct commercialization and partner-distributed sales of approved drugs: Elpida® (elsulfavirine) in Russia and EAEU since 2017, Agape® FDC in Russia/EAEU from 2022, and Avifavir delivered to over 1 million patients across 17 countries in 2020-2021.
2. Out-licensing and Territory Royalties: Licensing agreements with regional partners (e.g., P.T. Lloyd Pharma in Indonesia for Elpida; Pratapa Nirmala-Fahrenheit for Avifavir registration and sales in Indonesia) generating upfront, milestone, and royalty income plus technology transfer and local packaging/manufacturing.
3. Non-Dilutive Grant Funding: Grant-based funding from foundations and government programs, including a three-year 150 million rubles grant from The Skolkovo Foundation to Viriom Ltd for development of new Elpida® formulations.
4. Equity Financing: Equity capital raised alongside grants, contributing to a combined $4.7 million funding round reported in 2023.

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Viriom develops and commercializes small-molecule antiviral drugs for HIV-1 (Elpida®/elsulfavirine oral NNRTI, AGAPE® triple fixed-dose combination, Depulfavirine monthly nanosphere injectable), COVID-19 (Avifavir/Favipiravir oral antiviral), and a clinical-stage pipeline in influenza, hepatitis B/C, and oncology. Its lead HIV assets were licensed from F. Hoffmann-La Roche in 2009 and are commercialized in Russia, EAEU, China, and Indonesia via direct sales to government health programs and out-licensing to regional pharmaceutical partners.

Product overview

Viriom operates as a single biotech platform that advances a unified pipeline of antivirals and oncology therapies for global markets, rather than a multi-product SaaS portfolio. Its commercial core consists of Elpida® (elsulfavirine) and its marketed extensions — the AGAPE® fixed-dose combination and Depulfavirine (DPV) injectable — for HIV-1, alongside Favipiravir/Avifavir for SARS-CoV-2. These commercial assets sit beside a developmental layer of investigational programs: elsulfavirine+NRTI/INSTI fixed-dose combinations and the long-acting injectable VM3500 for HIV-1, the AV5124/AV5125 program for seasonal and pandemic influenza, and Quisinostat for oncology. The entire portfolio is built on a shared small-molecule antiviral and drug development platform, with key HIV assets originally licensed from F. Hoffmann-La Roche.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Elpida®: Brand name for Elsulfavirine, an antiretroviral therapy.
• Avifavir
• Agape®

Products and services

• Elpida® (elsulfavirine) Once-daily 20 mg oral capsule of elsulfavirine, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI) and prodrug of VM1500A (RO4970335), indicated for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in combination with other antiretrovirals. Licensed from F. Hoffmann-La Roche and marketed in Russia and EurAsEC countries.
• AGAPE® Fixed-Dose Combination (FDC) Once-daily single-tablet triple fixed-dose combination of elsulfavirine 20 mg + tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 200 mg + emtricitabine 300 mg for treatment of HIV-1 infection; approved for marketing in Russia and EurAsEC countries in 2022.
• Depulfavirine (DPV) Long-Acting Injectable Nanosphere injectable formulation of VM1500A designed for once-monthly or less-frequent use in combination therapy for HIV-1 infection, built on the VM1500A-LAI platform with 7.5-day plasma half-life enabling sustained therapeutic drug levels.
• Avifavir (Favipiravir) Oral antiviral (RNA polymerase inhibitor) marketed under the brand name Avifavir for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19; the world's first favipiravir-based drug approved for COVID-19, with full market authorization in November 2020 and subsequent registrations across 17 countries, delivering over 1 million treatment courses in 2020-2021.

Quantifiable outcome

• Elpida® safety/tolerability 2-4x better than efavirenz 600mg; CNS adverse events and rash/allergy significantly lower
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature9 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• P.T. Lloyd PharmacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 July 2019Signed licensing agreement in July 2019 as part of Viriom's global strategy to combat HIV drug resistance in developing markets. The agreement enables technology transfer and local primary/secondary packaging and drug manufacturing in Indonesia for Elpida® and other Viriom HIV/HBV portfolio products.
• Augustine LawlorcoreOthers · 6 December 2017Managing Partner of HealthCare Ventures (over 17 years) appointed to Viriom's Board of Directors in December 2017. Brings biotech strategic operations, finance, M&A, and corporate development experience.
• F. Hoffmann-La RocheflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2009In 2009 Viriom licensed from F. Hoffmann-La Roche a family of patents and drug candidates that gave rise to Elpida® (elsulfavirine) and VM1500A. The license is exclusive worldwide, covering the oral NNRTI pro-drug and long-acting injectable VM1500A-LAI drug candidate for HIV-1 treatment and prevention. This license underpins Viriom's lead asset and the foundation of its HIV pipeline.
• Pratapa Nirmala-FahrenheitcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLocal Indonesian partner for the registration and sales of Avifavir (Favipiravir) in Indonesia, supporting Viriom's first COVID-19 drug registration in Asia.
• ChemRar GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerViriom-affiliated ChemRar Group manufactures Favipiravir for use in combination formulations (with Elsulfavirine) being studied for treatment of severe COVID-19 infection. ChemRar supports Viriom's COVID-19 antiviral development efforts.
• Janssen PharmaceuticalscoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerOriginated the Quisinostat HDAC1 inhibitor asset that Viriom is developing for platinum-resistant ovarian cancer and other solid tumors. Viriom supports new indications in combination with standard of care or experimental agents.
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) Division of AIDS, NIHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNIAID Division of AIDS provided preclinical services to support Viriom's Segment I and Segment II reproductive toxicity studies of Elpida® (elsulfavirine) once-weekly oral formulation, a critical step for FDA approval of the once-weekly regimen in the US.
• SRI InternationalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSRI International executed the Segment I and Segment II reproductive toxicity preclinical studies for Viriom's Elpida® (elsulfavirine) once-weekly oral formulation, supporting FDA drug approval requirements.
• CovanceminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCovance executed preclinical reproductive toxicity studies supporting the FDA approval pathway for Viriom's Elpida® (elsulfavirine) once-weekly oral formulation.
• ChemDivcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChemDiv is listed as a Viriom partner on the 'Our Partners' page, supporting Viriom's global drug development platform. ChemRar Group (an affiliate) manufactures Favipiravir for Viriom's COVID-19 combination therapy program.
• RocheflagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerListed as a Viriom partner and the originator of the Elpida® (elsulfavirine) and VM1500A patents licensed to Viriom in 2009.
• Scripps ResearchminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Viriom partner on the 'Our Partners' page, supporting the company's global drug development platform.
• TCELS (Thailand Center of Excellence for Life Sciences)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Viriom partner supporting the company's drug development and registration efforts in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
• Heidelberg UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Viriom partner supporting the company's drug development platform.
• Mahidol UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Viriom partner supporting the company's drug development platform.
• IriSysminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as a Viriom partner supporting drug formulation and development efforts.
• Robert Redfield, MD (Advisory Board)coreOthersFormer Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) serves on Viriom's Advisory Board, lending clinical and public-health expertise to Viriom's infectious disease programs.
• Dr. Seth Berkley (Advisory Board)coreOthersCEO of GAVI Alliance and affiliated with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, advising Viriom on Global Access strategy.
• Dr. Douglas Richman (Advisory Board)coreOthersDirector of the Center for AIDS Research at UC San Diego, advising Viriom on Clinical Virology.
• Dr. Yiming Shao (Advisory Board)coreOthersAffiliated with the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention and National Center for AIDS/STD Control and Prevention, advising Viriom on China market access and HIV strategy.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Merck & Co. Merck markets doravirine (Pifeltro) and Delstrigo in the NNRTI class where Viriom's elsulfavirine competes, and also developed molnupiravir (Lagevrio) for COVID-19, directly competing with Viriom's Avifavir. Merck is a broad incumbent with overlapping mechanisms in both therapeutic areas Viriom addresses.
• Gilead Sciences: Gilead is the dominant HIV antiviral franchise globally (Biktarvy, Descovy, Sunlenca LAI) and a major player in antiviral drug development. Viriom competes on the same NNRTI/INSTI/NRTI axes but with a focus on affordability and developing-market access rather than US/EU dominance.
• Shionogi: Shionogi is a Japanese pharma with both an HIV franchise (including a long-acting injectable in development via partnership) and ensitrelvir (Xocova), an oral COVID-19 antiviral approved in Japan. Comparable to Viriom as a mid-sized antiviral-focused innovator operating in both HIV and acute respiratory viral disease markets.

Emerging players

• Theratechnologies: Theratechnologies commercializes Trogarzo (ibalizumab) in North America and Europe, focused on heavily treatment-experienced HIV patients. It is comparable to Viriom as a smaller, commercial-stage HIV-focused company pursuing differentiated, resistance-overcoming therapies.
• Arcturus Therapeutics: Arcturus developed a self-amplifying mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and has LAI technology programs, including in infectious disease. While the modality differs, Arcturus is a useful comparable as a small-cap clinical-stage biotech pursuing long-acting delivery platforms with multiple infectious-disease indications.
• TaiMed Biologics: TaiMed developed ibalizumab (Trogarzo), an approved HIV entry inhibitor with an intravenous administration profile, and is exploring LAI formulations. It is a smaller specialty HIV company comparable in scale and stage to Viriom, focused on differentiated mechanisms and niche/resistance-driven indications.

Regional players

• Brii Biosciences: Brii Biosciences is a China-headquartered biotech with programs in HIV (long-acting combinations) and infectious diseases. Like Viriom, it pursues a developing-market access strategy with strong China positioning and overlaps with Viriom's Asia HIV and COVID-19 efforts.

Direct peers

• FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical: FUJIFILM Toyama Chemical is the originator of favipiravir (Avigan), the active pharmaceutical ingredient in Viriom's Avifavir. It is a direct peer in the favipiravir-based antiviral space and a key supply/competitive consideration for Viriom's COVID-19 and influenza programs.
• ViiV Healthcare: ViiV Healthcare is the global HIV specialist majority-owned by GSK and develops both NNRTIs, NRTIs, INSTIs, and the only approved long-acting injectable regimen (cabotegravir/rilpivirine, marketed as Cabenuva and Apretude). Viriom's Elpida® (NNRTI), Depulfavirine (LAI NNRTI), and VM3500 (LAI INSTI) directly target the same patient population and delivery paradigm.
• Frontier Biotechnologies: China-based Frontier Biotech developed albuvirtide, the first long-acting injectable fusion inhibitor for HIV approved in China. It is the closest peer in terms of LAI HIV technology, developing-market focus, and emerging-market regulatory strategy, making it directly comparable to Viriom's Depulfavirine/VM1500A-LAI program.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/viriominc
• Facebookfacebook.com/viriominc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/viriom

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds7 records

Investors6 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Viriom