Study finds remdesivir effective against a key enzyme of coronavirus that cause COVID-19

Image

Summary: Scientists have shown that the drug remdesivir is highly effective in stopping the replication mechanism of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The finding follows closely on research demonstrating how the drug worked against the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, a related coronavirus.

Scientists at the University of Alberta have shown that the drug remdesivir is highly effective in stopping the replication mechanism of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, according to new research published today in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

The paper follows closely on research published by the same lab in late February that demonstrated how the drug worked against the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus, a related coronavirus.

"We were optimistic that we would see the same results against the SARS-CoV-2 virus," said Matthias Götte, chair of medical microbiology and immunology at U of A.

"We obtained almost identical results as we reported previously with MERS, so we see that remdesivir is a very potent inhibitor for coronavirus polymerases."

Götte's new paper demonstrates how remdesivir, developed in 2014 to fight the Ebola epidemic, works in detail. He likens the polymerase to the engine of the virus, responsible for synthesizing the virus' genome.

"If you target the polymerase, the virus cannot spread, so it's a very logical target for treatment," Götte said.

The lab's work shows how remdesivir tricks the virus by mimicking its building blocks.

"These coronavirus polymerases are sloppy and they get fooled, so the inhibitor gets incorporated many times and the virus can no longer replicate," Götte explained.

He said the evidence from his group, along with previously published studies in animal and cell culture models, means that remdesivir can be classified as a "direct-acting antiviral" against SARS-CoV-2, a term first used to describe newer classes of antivirals that interfere with specific steps of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) life cycle.

He said the discovery of that direct action reinforces the promise of clinical trials for remdesivir in COVID-19 patients, which are already underway around the world.

While Götte said the evidence justifies clinical trials, he cautioned that the results obtained in the lab cannot be used to predict how the drug will work with people.

"We've got to be patient and wait for the results of the randomized clinical trials," said Götte, whose research was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Alberta's Major Innovation Fund and Gilead Sciences, which manufactures remdesivir.

 

The Götte lab previously worked on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HCV, but a couple of years ago switched to focus on viruses with the highest epidemic potential. The World Health Organization (WHO) issued its list of the top pathogens likely to cause severe outbreaks, including Ebola, Lassa and coronaviruses, in 2015.

"In that sense we were prepared because my lab specializes in viral polymerases," said Götte, adding that his next step will be to use his lab's tools to evaluate other promising antivirals.

He is optimistic that the unprecedented amount of research going on worldwide and the high level of co-operation between researchers will lead to the discovery of one or more effective treatments for COVID-19.

"We are desperate, but we still have to keep the bar high for anything that we put into clinical trials," he said.

Remdesivir is one of several drugs being fast-tracked into trials by the World Health Organization, comparing potential treatments in hospitalized COVID-19 patients in a dozen countries, including Canada. Götte said we can expect results from important clinical trials as early as April or May.

Götte said it is disappointing that antivirals discovered at the time of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak of 2003 -- which might have been effective against COVID-19 too -- were never translated into widely available treatments, largely because of the huge cost involved in developing new drugs.

"This time around it's obvious that we have to cross the finish line," he said.

"Ten billion dollars, it seems a lot, a huge amount," Götte said. "But in the context of this pandemic and the costs associated with this pandemic, it's nothing.".

A standard editorial manager system is utilized for manuscript submission, review, editorial processing and tracking which can be securely accessed by the authors, reviewers and editors for monitoring and tracking the article processing. Manuscripts can be uploaded online at Editorial Tracking System (https://www.scholarscentral.org/submissions/pharmaceutical-sciences-drug-development.html) or forwarded to the Editorial Office at: pharmasci@peerreviewedjournal.org

 How we work:

  • After submission, an acknowledgement with manuscript number is sent to the corresponding author within 7 working days.
  • A 21 day window time frame is allotted for peer-review process wherein multiple experts are contacted.
  • Author proof is generated within 7 working days after the acceptance decision.

Benefits on Publication:

Open Access: Permanent free access to your article upon publication ensures extensive global reach and readership.

Easy Article Sharing: Our open access enables you to share your article directly with colleagues through email and on social media via a single link, permitting third party reuse with appropriate citation in addition to the retention of content copyright by the author.

Global Marketing: Through promotion in a targeted global email announcement or press release, your article will be seen by thousands of the top-most thought-leaders in your field.

Color Art: In a world of black & white journal articles, high-quality full-color images make your article stand out from the crowd and tell a complete story, increasing readers and citations.

Social Media Exposure: Extended reach for your article through links on Twitter accounts provides maximum visibility worldwide.

Reprints: Distribute your work to colleagues and at conferences as we provide hard copy color reprints of your article on order.

Media Contact:
Sarah Eve | Journal Manager
Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Drug Development
Whatsapp No:  +1-504-608-2390