MR1-114

July 20, 2026: Sunshine Biopharma Inc. (NASDAQ: SBFM) announced publication of preclinical research in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry (2026, 69, 8433–8450) describing MR1-114, a novel noncovalent inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 papain-like protease (PLpro). The paper reports nanomolar in vitro potency across multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants (including the original Washington strain, Delta, and Omicron BA.5). In vivo, repeated oral dosing of MR1-114 in the K18-hACE2 mouse model significantly suppressed pulmonary viral replication and prevented disease-associated weight loss; the company states efficacy matched nirmatrelvir (Paxlovid’s protease inhibitor comparator). The publication also notes favorable ADME features, high oral bioavailability, and preferential lung enrichment in mice and rats. Sunshine Biopharma said it is collaborating with University of Arizona researchers and plans to further explore MR1-114 and its analogs for clinical development. Separately, the company stated it has 60 generic prescription drugs marketed in Canada and expects ~12 additional launches in the remainder of 2026, and it is also developing a K1.1 mRNA-LNP program for liver cancer.