A cat medicine has been shown to be effective against novel coronavirus: successfully prevented virus replication, has been clinically tested by applicants
On Sunday, researchers from the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences published an unpeer-reviewed paper in the bio-preprint bioRxiv. According to the article, in laboratory tests, researchers found that a drug used to treat infectious diseases in cats effectively prevented the replication of Sars-CoV-2 (novel coronavirus); and computer modeling and laboratory experiments showed that This drug is “a relatively effective and safe drug candidate.”
It is reported that the drug, named GC376, was developed by Anivive Lifesciences, a biotechnology company headquartered in Long Beach, California, and has been used to treat cats with feline infectious peritonitis (FIP, referred to as cat-to-abdomen). Among them, cat-to-birth is a disease caused by the mutation of cat coronavirus carried by cats. This disease is usually fatal, but it will not be transmitted to humans.
GC376 belongs to the class 3c protease inhibitor, which mainly interrupts virus replication and then defeats the virus by autoimmunity. It is a kind of protease synthesis required to inhibit virus replication.
The above new research indicates that the life cycle of SARS-CoV-2 requires a fully functional class 3c protease, also known as the main protease (Mpro). The function of Mpro is essential for virus replication and transcription, so it is an attractive drug target for anti-SARS-CoV-2.
The GC376 can be combined with Mpro. Mpro enzymes can break down large proteins into amino acids, and viruses use these amino acids as building blocks. Without Mpro, the virus cannot replicate itself.
The researchers found that the drug could easily enter Sars-CoV-2 infected cells and inhibit virus production. In addition, only a very low dose is needed to achieve the maximum effect and show excellent safety.
In fact, a few weeks before the results of the study were published, GC376 research and development company Anivive Lifesciences has applied to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency approval, hoping to conduct clinical trials of the drug in humans.
At the end of last month, Anivive said that based on its own research in the past few months, the company submitted a pre-survey application for GC376 to the FDA. Anivive said they will accept FDA guidance to establish clinical research protocols. It is unclear when these drugs will be tested in COVID-19 patients.
The predecessor of Ridesivir is also a magical medicine for cats
In fact, the predecessor GS-441524 preparation of redoxivir (code-named GS-5734) is also a drug for treating cat abdominal transmission, and redoxivir is a drug phosphorylated by GS-441524.
Although GS has never been approved for marketing (whether as a human or veterinary drug), it has shown the magical effect of treating cats with abdominal transmission. It is said that the cure rate is more than 80%.
GS-441524 is a small molecule, scientific name nucleoside triphosphate competitive inhibitor, which shows strong antiviral activity against many RNA viruses. GS-441524 acts on the replication stage of genetic material and acts as a natural nucleoside triphosphate competitor to participate in the replication of feline coronavirus RNA. When the GS-441524 molecule is inserted into the viral RNA, replication will fail, blocking the cat covid from the source The synthesis of viral RNA also affects the synthesis of the subsequent cat coronavirus coat protein.
However, because GS-441524 was not approved for marketing, some cat slaves can only buy this drug from the black market for the treatment of cat abdominal transmission.