An IIBR's study shows that an analogue of Cerdelga®, an FDA-approved drug, is effective against a broad range of RNA-viruses including the newly emerging SARS-CoV-2.
The need for antiviral drugs is real and relevant. Antiviral drugs with a broad spectrum have a particular advantage dealing with emerging disease outbreaks, such as the current COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers at IIBR examined the antiviral effect of two specific inhibitors of GlucosylCeramide synthase (GCS): (1). an analogue of the FDA-approved drug Cerdelga®, (2) an analogue of venglustat which is currently under phase III clinical trials. They found that both inhibitors inhibit the replication of four different enveloped RNA viruses of different genus, organ-target and transmission route. The fact that these inhibitors have an antiviral effect on viruses of four different families, suggesting a key role of the glycosphingolipid synthesis pathway in viral infection. Targeting host proteins or pathways utilized by multiple viruses is less prone to the development of resistance to the drug through mutations. Analogues of the specific compounds tested have already been studied clinically, implying they can be fast-tracked for public use and may be particularly relevant to SARS-CoV-2 infection.