Photo: VCG
A joint study by Chinese scientists recently found that the oral nucleoside drug VV116, approved for the treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), exhibits significant antiviral activity against Nipah virus, bringing new hope for the prevention and treatment of this new deadly infection, the Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said in a statement on Monday.
The Nipah virus has emerged as a major public health concern since it was first identified in Malaysia in 1998, with a fatality rate of 40% to 70%, according to a statement released by the Wuhan Institute of Virology. In January, India’s West Bengal state saw new cases and deaths, and about 100 close contacts were placed in quarantine. Given the lack of approved treatments or vaccines and the wide host range of the virus, WHO has classified Nipah virus as a top priority threat in the region.
A joint research team from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, and Vigonvita Lifesciences recently published a paper in the international journal Emerging Microbes & Infections entitled “Oral nucleoside drug VV116 is a promising candidate for the treatment of Nipah virus infection.”
VV116 is an oral antiviral drug approved in China and Uzbekistan to treat COVID-19. The drug and its active by-products showed significant inhibitory effects against Nipah viruses, including both the ‘Malaysian strain’ (NiV-M) and the ‘Bangladesh strain’ (NiV-B), in in vitro experiments.
In a lethal-dose infection model using golden hamsters, oral administration of 400 milligrams of VV116 per kilogram of body weight increased the survival rate of the animals to 66.7 percent and significantly reduced the viral load in key target organs such as the lungs, spleen and brain, according to a statement released by the Wuhan Institute of Virology (CAS).
The results of this study confirm the therapeutic potential of VV116 against Nipah virus infection and suggest that VV116 may serve as a preventive treatment for high-risk groups such as healthcare workers and laboratory personnel, and as a readily available drug option to respond to current and future Nipah virus outbreaks.
Global Times