Compounds with therapeutic potential against novel respiratory 2019 coronavirus.

Compounds with therapeutic potential against novel respiratory 2019 coronavirus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2020 Mar 09;: Authors: Martinez MA Abstract Currently, the expansion of the novel human respiratory coronavirus (known as: SARS-CoV-2, COVID-2019, or 2019-nCoV) has stressed the need for therapeutic alternatives to alleviate and stop this new epidemic. The previous epidemics of high-morbidity human coronaviruses, such as the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) in 2003, and the Middle East respiratory syndrome corona virus (MERS-CoV) in 2012, prompted the characterization of compounds that could be potentially active against the currently emerging novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The most promising compound is remdesivir (GS-5734), a nucleotide analog prodrug currently in clinical trials for treating Ebola virus infections. Remdesivir inhibited the replication of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV in tissue cultures, and it displayed efficacy in non-human animal models. In addition, a combination of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) protease inhibitors, lopinavir/ritonavir, and interferon beta (LPV/RTV-INFb) were shown to be effective in patients infected with SARS-CoV. LPV/RTV-INFb also improved clinical parameters in marmosets and mice infected with MERS-CoV. Remarkably, the therapeutic efficacy of remdesivir appeared to be superior to that of LPV/RTV-INFb against MERS-CoV in a transgenic humanized mice model. Th...
Source: Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy - Category: Microbiology Authors: Tags: Antimicrob Agents Chemother Source Type: research