According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an experimental antiviral treatment against the virus that causes COVID-19 is promising in animal studies.
The drug, MK-4482, is said to lower viral levels and reduce damage to the lungs of hamsters treated for infection, according to an NIH release. The treatment works by preventing the virus from recurring, with benefits seen when the drug is given 12 hours before or 12 hours after infection. Researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases have published findings in the journal Nature Communications.
PFIZER Study CORONAVIRUS ORAL ANTIVIRAL THERAPEUTIC
“We show that MK-4482, when administered from 12 hours before SARS-CoV-2 infection, or even 12 hours after infection, significantly reduces viral lung load and pathology but does not affect upper respiratory tract shedding. “These findings support the potential of MK-4482 as an orally administered drug for exposure to high risk and possibly therapeutic use in humans.”
The study involved three groups of hamsters; a “group before the infection treatment; a group after the infection treatment” and a control group. For the treatment groups, scientists gave the drug every 12 hours for three days. In the end, the treated animals in both groups revealed “significantly fewer lesions in the lungs” and a 100-fold decrease in infectious virus in the lungs compared to the untreated control group.
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The team noted that a separate antiviral drug, remdesivir, has received FDA approval for emergencies, but this treatment can only be administered intravenously.
“These data suggest that treatment with MK-4482 could potentially reduce risk exposure to SARS-CoV-2, and could be used to treat established SARS-CoV-2 infection alone or possibly in combination with other drugs,” reads the accompanying release. of the NIH.