Antiviral Drugs for Gaucher’s Disease Appears to Inhibit Growth of SARS CoV-2

In their study, the researchers found that a combination of the two antiviral drugs for Gaucher’s disease appeared to inhibit the growth of SARS CoV-2 and could also prove effective against other virus infections. Their test of an analog of Cerdelga and Venglustat revealed that a combination of the drugs significantly reduced the replication capacity of the coronavirus and destruction of the infected cells.

The researchers who tested the antiviral drugs on mouse models using four different RNA viruses found the two drugs to be effective in all four cases. In their study published in bioRxiv, the researchers have noted that the drugs “have an antiviral effect on the SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolate in vitro, with a single dose able to significantly inhibit viral replication within 24–48 h” in the case of COVID-19. The researchers are now testing both the drugs for their effectiveness in treating animals infected with the coronavirus.


Related Links:
Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR)