Duo of antiviral drugs strongly inhibits SARS-CoV-2 found in the lab
20 June, 2020
A combination of two existing drugs is impressive against SARS-CoV-2 in cell cultures, experts in Norway and Estonia have found.
In a separate experiment, the researchers used the same cell cultures showing that convalescent blood plasma may be ineffective if the individual donated it 2 months after acquiring a diagnosis of COVID-19. It is the respiratory disease that SARS-CoV-2 causes.
On June 16, 2020, scientists at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom announced the primary drug proven to reduce mortality in persons with severe COVID-19.
The breakthrough, which the team will report in the journal Nature, implies that doctors can immediately start treating hospitalized patients with dexamethasone. This is a cheap, easily available steroid that is in widespread work with for decades.
Stay informed with live updates on the existing COVID-19 outbreak and check out our coronavirus hub for more advice on avoidance and treatment.
Drugs with a tested safety record, such as for example dexamethasone, have a sharp advantage over novel treatments and vaccines; after a relatively swift clinical trial, national drug regulators can promptly approve their use.
Research by scientists in Norway and Estonia has now identified two even more drugs that regulators may potentially fast-track in this way.
The drugs are antivirals that already have approval to treat different infections. Like dexamethasone, experts would need to check their efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 in people with the virus.
Monkey cells
In the brand new study, a group of scientists from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim collaborated with scientists at the University of Tartu in Estonia.
They first screened 12 human and animal cell lines to determine that was the most vunerable to the virus.
They identified one cell line called Vero-E6, which they extracted from African green monkeys, then they exposed cultures of the cells to SARS-CoV-2 plus varying concentrations of 136 antiviral drugs.
The drugs were from a data source of broad-spectrum antiviral agents (BSAAs), which the same research team setup earlier in 2020. BSAAs are drugs which have passed a medical protection trial and that function against several families of viruses.
Immediately after 72 hours, the researchers counted how many cells were still alive in each individual culture dish. This allowed them to narrow down the discipline to six drugs which were the very best at rescuing cells from SARS-CoV-2.
The six antivirals that were active against the virus were:
- salinomycin
- nelfinavir
- amodiaquine
- obatoclax
- emetine
- homoharringtonine
Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com