In a new study, researchers say that a drug used to cure a deadly disease caused by a coronavirus in cats may also be effective as a treatment for humans against COVID-19.
In just two months, their results have shown that the drug is effective at inhibiting viral replication in cells with SARS-CoV-2.
They say this drug is very likely to work in humans, so they are encouraged that it will be an effective antiviral treatment for COVID-19 patients.
The research was conducted by a team at the University of Alberta and elsewhere.
The drug is a protease inhibitor that interferes with the virus’s ability to replicate, thus ending an infection.
Proteases are key to many body functions and are common targets for drugs to treat everything from high blood pressure to cancer and HIV.
First studied following the 2003 outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), the protease inhibitor was further developed by veterinary researchers who showed it cures a disease that is fatal in cats.
The team determined the three-dimensional shape of the protease with the drug in the active site pocket, showing the mechanism of inhibition. This will allow them to develop even more effective drugs.
The current drug shows enough antiviral action against SARS-CoV-2 to proceed immediately to clinical trials.
The team says because this drug has already been used to treat cats with coronavirus, and it’s effective with little to no toxicity, it’s already passed many stages and this allows them to move forward.
It will likely be tested in combination with other promising antivirals such as remdesivir, the first treatment approved for conditional use in some countries including the United States and Canada.
One author of the study is Joanne Lemieux, a professor of biochemistry in the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
The study is published in Nature Communications.
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