A Chinese drug could help manage outbreaks of Nipah and prevent the spread of the deadly virus that has no vaccine or cure, researchers said.
While the virus has no approved treatment, researchers from the Wuhan Institute of Virology have found that VV116 – an oral antiviral drug originally developed to treat Covid-19 – allowed two-thirds of infected hamsters to survive a dose that would otherwise prove lethal.
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“This finding is the first to demonstrate the therapeutic potential of VV116 against Nipah virus,” the institute said on Monday.
An oral dose of VV116 increased the survival rate of golden hamsters to 66.7 per cent, and reduced the amount of the virus present in the lungs, spleen and brain, which are the target organs of the infection.
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“It can be used not only as a preventive drug for high-risk groups such as healthcare workers and laboratory workers, but also as a readily available drug option for dealing with current and future Nipah virus outbreaks,” the institute said.