Statement from Kimer Med

Friday 21 February, 2025 

A statement from Kimer Med CEO, Rick Kiessig, in response to online misinformation.

“I am greatly concerned by the misleading and inaccurate claims being made online about this company and the work that it does. 

Over the last few days, misinformation has circulated across social media platforms, spreading unnecessary fear and confusion in our community.

It is extremely unfortunate that some people have shared social media posts from an international source that were incorrect, and then others have added further misinformation in the comments.

Incorrect claims include that Kimer Med is bringing tropical diseases into the country, importing mosquitoes, making vaccines and using mRNA technology, creating viruses for release, has links with certain people and groups overseas, and that we are producing bioweapons.  

With all these incorrect claims being made, and many others, I am not surprised that people are worried.

I want to reassure the community that the work we are in fact doing is to develop broad-spectrum antiviral drugs. These are medicines to treat viral infections that cause significant human suffering, such as Dengue and Herpes.

We are not creating viruses, vaccines, using mRNA technology, doing gain-of-function work or anything related to the gene technology legislation being looked at by the current Government. 

Additionally, the compounds we are developing in Nelson are proteins, and testing them is undertaken overseas. Our trained scientists work in a certified Physical Containment (PC)-2 lab environment, which is closely monitored by the Ministry for Primary Industries, with external audits undertaken, just like the many other PC-2 labs around the country.

Suggestions that a leak from such a lab could be a catastrophe and could introduce either of these tropical diseases into NZ is misleading and unhelpful.  

With the misinformation spreading unwarranted fear in our community, we ask that those sharing the posts please stop and refer to our website, and the information below for the facts about our work.”

Further information:

For more information about Kimer Med, the work we do, who we work with, and the work we don’t do, please refer to the article titled ‘The facts About Kimer Med’.

Image credit: Adrien Olichon at Unsplash