The Facts About Kimer Med
False information is being spread online causing unnecessary fear and alarm in the community. Please see below for the facts about what we do, and what we don’t do.
If you have any questions about our antiviral research, please contact us.
What does Kimer Med do?
Kimer Med is trying to develop a family of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs (medicines). Antivirals are designed to be used *after* someone is infected, and are different to vaccines, which require administration well before an infection begins.
Broad-spectrum antivirals are to viruses what antibiotics are to bacteria - i.e. one drug that works against many bugs.
There are many antiviral drugs in use currently, including those that are successfully used to manage important and widespread diseases like Hepatitis and HIV.
There are about 220 viruses that are known to cause disease in humans.
Approved antivirals only exist to treat 12 of those viruses, meaning 95% of viruses lack an effective antiviral treatment.
Who is behind Kimer Med?
The company was founded in 2020 by Rick Kiessig and Phil Oliver. Rick is a former American who moved from Silicon Valley to Nelson in 2006. He is now a New Zealand citizen, and has given up his US citizenship. Phil is an American citizen who still resides in the USA.
The company recently completed a round of fundraising, and gained a few minor shareholders, including some in New Zealand, but the bulk of our funding to date has come almost entirely from a single Angel investor in Australia. Majority ownership remains with residents of Australasia, and as of February 2025, we employ 6 people in Nelson.
What can you tell us about some of the controversial issues surrounding Kimer Med?
False information, some of it containing bizarre claims about Kimer Med, has been published and spread online.
We are not associated in any way with Gates, Soros, or Fauci, or taking direction from ‘Big Pharma’.
We are not working on vaccines, or mRNA technology.
We recognise the harm done to many people in NZ and elsewhere by the Covid vaccines. At the same time, we recognise the value of many older, conventional vaccines. We believe their use should be by choice, and not mandated.
We are not working with mosquitoes, and we do not import them into NZ.
We do not do gain of function testing (Gain of function testing involves modifying viruses).
What’s a PC-2 laboratory?
All laboratories that handle biological materials require containment systems and must comply with relevant laws and safety standards. (Biological materials include cells, bacteria, fungi, viruses, and certain plants and animals.)
There are 4 internationally recognised levels of containment, called PC-1 to PC-4. (‘PC’ stands for ‘Physical Containment’).
PC-1 is used for organisms that carry a very low level of risk, such as baker’s yeast (no viruses are PC-1).
PC-2 is used for organisms that carry a relatively low level of risk, such as Influenza or common cold viruses.
PC-3 is used for organisms that carry a relatively high risk, such as SARS-CoV-2.
PC-4 is used for viruses that are often fatal and don’t have an effective method of treatment, such as Ebola.
There are internationally recognised standards that describe the requirements for each level, covering how the facilities are made, and the processes used by those who operate them. There are a number of other PC-2 labs in Nelson and many more around New Zealand, (including at most universities). There are a few PC-3 labs, and no PC-4 labs in New Zealand. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) licenses and monitors all labs like this in NZ.
What about Kimer Med’s lab?
Kimer Med operate a PC-2 lab which we use mostly to fabricate and test small amounts of our antiviral compounds (which are proteins). We need to do this work in a PC-2 lab because of the way we do the fabrication. Our fabrication process does not involve viruses in any way.
We also culture certain cells for testing, using standard laboratory cell lines. No humans or animals are harmed in the process, and we are regularly monitored and audited by MPI.
How have you done testing against viruses?
Using testing in cell cultures (known as in vitro assays), we have shown that our antiviral compounds are effective against 21 different viruses. All of our testing against viruses was done by third-party laboratories, mostly based in the USA (none of it was done directly by us). The viruses we’ve shown success against include: Dengue, Zika, Human Papillomavirus (HPV), Herpes Simplex, Varicella Zoster (shingles), JC virus, Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Epstein-Barr (EBV), two viruses that cause the common cold, Influenza, and Rotavirus.
What about animal testing?
Animal wellbeing and the reduction of animal suffering is important to us, and we believe our compounds may one day be able to treat a wide range of animals with viral disease.
Testing in mice is an important part of drug development to help reduce the risk of eventual testing in humans.
We have not done testing in mice ourselves. This requires specialised equipment and facilities, which we do not have.
We have engaged external parties, based overseas, to test against small numbers of mice.
Who pays Kimer Med?
We do not yet have a product, so the only things we can currently sell are services. We have received a few small grants from Callaghan Innovation to support our R&D, and a short contract with Battelle Institute in the USA, to investigate specific antivirals.
Are viruses real?
Yes, hundreds of millions of people suffer from viral disease every year. The structure and behaviour of viruses has been known, accepted and well characterised for many years.
Viruses cause diseases such as mumps, measles, polio, HIV, shingles, hepatitis, flu, common cold, herpes, and many others. They infect not only humans, but animals, insects, plants, and even bacteria, fish and shellfish. As part of their replication process, viruses usually destroy the cells they infect.
Why are you working on a dengue antiviral?
Dengue is a very serious global health problem that causes immense suffering and kills up to 40,000 people each year (mostly children). Incidence of dengue is increasing at a higher rate than any other infectious disease and is predicted to expand into Europe, USA and Africa this decade. There is currently no antiviral for Dengue.
Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral disease that infects as many as 450 million people every year. Most dengue infections take place in warmer, mid-latitude countries, such as Brazil, India, Bangladesh and Singapore. There were outbreaks of dengue in Samoa (May 2020, Aug 2024), and Tonga (Feb 2025).
The dengue virus is only carried by two species of mosquitoes, neither of which exists in New Zealand. It is not transmitted directly from one person to another, and is not airborne.
Most cases of dengue are not fatal, but severe cases can be, and children are at increased risk in countries where dengue is endemic. Dengue can also be extremely painful - its nickname is “breakbone fever” because of the bone and joint pain it causes.
There are 4 different strains, or “serotypes” of dengue. If someone catches and survives one strain, they are still susceptible to the others. Kimer Med’s antivirals have shown efficacy against all 4 serotypes of dengue.
Image credit: Adrien Olichon at Unsplash