Scientists have found that an oral antiviral drug successfully prevents monkeys from dying after an Ebola infection, an advance that may prevent future outbreaks of the deadly virus.
The deadly Ebola virus is highly lethal to humans and nonhuman primates (NHPs) with death rates close to 90 per cent of infected individuals, Independent reported.
While antibody-based treatments have shown some success in animal and human trials, the combination of cold-chain transport and storage requirements pose substantial challenges to contain outbreaks, researchers say.
“Oral antivirals have several advantages over parenterally administered drugs, including potential to be easier to supply, store, distribute, and administer,” scientists explained.
The drug Obeldesivir (ODV) was previously found to have broad activity across several RNA viruses – including the filovirus family to which Ebola belongs – when given 24 hours after exposure.
However, in the previous research, scientists used intramuscular delivery of the virus into macaques, which causes a much faster disease course that makes it harder to track the drug’s effect.
In the latest study, published in the journal Science Advances, researchers found that ODV protects 100 per cent of rhesus macaques exposed to the highly potent Makona variant of Ebola virus via mucosal administration.
