A New Oral Antiviral Could Be The Future Of Fighting Pandemics To Come

by Anay Pinto / June 9, 2024

Recently, a devastating pandemic killed nearly 7 million and caused many more to be very ill. When this pandemic first struck, people were terrified by this new virus that was spreading with no way to heal those who had it. Eventually, a vaccine was developed after about a year to help those affected and prevent many from contracting it. The problem is that it took a year for a treatment to come out, and in that time, many were killed by this rampant virus. What if there was a way to stop this deadly virus from replicating in the future? 

The solution: Obeldesivir (GS-5245). This new drug is the result of a partnership between Gilead Sciences and the Sheahan and Baric Labs at the Gillings School.

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This same partnership investigated the drug remdesivir. This drug was used to fight COVID-19 by quickly stopping the virus from replicating. It also helped reduce recovery time and prevent the progression of the COVID-19 virus. The catch is that remdesivir is administered through an IV drip. Scientists have been working to find a way to administer a similar drug orally, which would make treatment easier, cheaper, and quicker. With remdesivir, you would have to visit a healthcare facility to get the drug. If it was oral, you could just take the antiviral at home, just like any OTC medication, like Advil. 

Testing of Obeldesivir has been conducted on mice and later humans who were infected with  SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

The outcomes were good overall, and when combined with another antiviral known as nirmatrelvir, the outcomes were further improved. The overall goal of Obeldesivir is to shorten the time it takes for symptoms to go away, specifically for those who are not at high risk for severe sickness due to COVID-19. 

In conclusion, the broad-spectrum antiviral Obeldesivir has a bright future in fighting other harmful RNA viruses.

Citations:

Novel small-molecule oral antiviral could be a game-changer in the fight against future pandemics. News. (2024, June 4). https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240604/Novel-small-molecule-oral-antiviral-could-be-a-game-changer-in-the-fight-against-future-pandemics.aspx