Remdesivir more effective when combined with hepatitis C drugs

The antiviral drug remdesivir is in high demand during the second wave of COVID-19 in India. Following the surge in COVID-19 and drug shortages, the Ministry of Health reveals that Remdisville is not a life-saving drug and that “unnecessary or unreasonable” use in Covid-19 patients is unethical. I made it. This drug is recommended only for COVID-19 patients with moderate illness and oxygen support and warned that it should not be given at home. Studies have shown that the drug did not reduce mortality in coronavirus patients. However, doctors are increasingly prescribing it in India as there is currently no proven drug available for COVID-19. Randeep Guleria, director of the All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS), also said the drug was “not a silver bullet” and did not reduce mortality. But he added that we may use it because we don’t have a very good antiviral drug. He also warned that the role of remdesivir is limited and should be used with great care. Now, in a new study, researchers in the United States have found that combining remdesivir with four hepatitis C virus (HCV) drugs has a potent effect on COVID-19. Read again- COVID-19 patients with long-term side effects: dyspnea rehabilitation treatment helps

If confirmed through additional research and clinical trials, this finding may provide a new antiviral drug to combat COVID-19, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, University of Texas at Austin, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). ), A research team including scientists said). Read again- Seriously ill COVID-19 patients get free remdesivir against prescription: Prime Minister Yogi

Effective combination therapy by inhibiting SARS-CoV-2

Originally, remdesivir was developed over 10 years ago for treatment Hepatitis C A cold-like virus called respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It has also been found to be safe and effective for patients with Ebola. Initially, it was considered an excellent treatment for COVID-19, but studies did not show any significant benefit from its use. Nevertheless, remdesivir is also used in the United States to treat patients with COVID-19. Read again- Acute Oxygen Deficiency in Delhi: Awakening to Reality of COVID-19 Situation, HC Tells Center

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have previously identified “significant similarities” between protease structures or enzymes essential for coronavirus replication in SARS-CoV-2 and HCV. Because of this similarity, experts thought that existing drugs that bind to and block hepatitis C protease would have the same effect on SARS-CoV-2.

Based on this hypothesis, a US research team conducted research on protein binding and viral replication in SARS-CoV-2. Remdesivir And 10 hepatitis C drugs. They found that seven of these drugs inhibit the SARS-CoV-2 main protease named Mpro. However, four of these HCV drugs also inhibited another SARS-CoV-2 protease known as PLpro. Researchers then tested each of the seven HCV drugs in combination with remdesivir, but found that only four drugs that unexpectedly targeted PLpro increased the efficacy of remdesivir by a factor of 10. did. The four HCV drugs were simeprevir, vaniprevir, paritaprevir, and glazoprevir. These are oral medications and remdesivir is given intravenously.

May benefit unvaccinated COVID-19 patients

Researchers have used remdesivir in combination with PLpro inhibitors to treat COVID-19 in unvaccinated COVID-19 patients and A variant of the virus. In addition, the identification of PLpro as an antiviral target may lead to the development of specific SARS-CoV-2 PLpro inhibitors, producing highly effective antiviral cocktails to prevent elevated resistance mutations. They said they could be included in the combination therapy for the virus. ..

The test was performed on monkey and human cells grown in culture. However, because the use of these HCV drugs has already been approved and their potential side effects are known, researchers say such combination therapies can be tested in humans faster than new drugs. .. Their research results were published in Cell Reports.

Input from the agency

Published: April 28, 2021 8:52 pm | Updated: April 28, 2021 9:03 pm