Oral antiviral shows promising early results against COVID-19

Early testing in cultured human lung and airway cells suggests that a broad-spectrum oral antiviral drug could aid the fight against COVID-19, according to a new study published on Monday.

The drug, called EIDD-2801, also showed promising results against related coronaviruses, including MERS and the original SARS virus, when tested in mice and cultured human cells, according to the study published on weekly journal Science Translational Medicine.

EIDD-2801 is similar to remdesivir, a potential antiviral against the novel coronavirus. Both drugs work by mimicking ribonucleosides — the primary components of RNA molecules — causing debilitating errors when the drugs are incorporated into viral RNA during replication.

The researchers, led by Timothy Sheahan, professor of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina, have found early evidence that suggests EIDD-2801 may perform well against several coronavirus family members, and may offer some advantages over remdesivir.

• This Hungarian city will produce the medicine easing the symptoms of the coronavirus