Anti-influenza super-pill
The creators of the experimental drug promised to cure the flu in 24 hours
Natalia Pelezneva, Naked Science
The Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi & Co. announced that it is preparing to release a drug capable of destroying the flu virus in the body within 24 hours. At the same time, the most effective modern drugs available on the market require about 72 hours to do this. The development was announced by the ScienceAlert portal.
The new drug was named baloxavir marboxil (baloxavir marboxil). According to the creators of the drug, only one dose of the drug will be enough for the patient to fight viruses. This distinguishes it favorably from other flu medications: for example, the recommended course of oseltamivir (common trade name – "Tamiflu") lasts five days, the patient takes two doses a day. This is not only a matter of patient comfort: it is known that an incomplete course of medication can contribute to the development of resistance of the virus to the drug.
Baloxavir marboxil belongs to the class of endonuclease inhibitors: it suppresses the activity of endonuclease proteins that help viruses multiply in the cells of the body. Influenza viruses multiply with the help of "theft" caps are structures in the RNA of a cell. Endonucleases help to "cut off" part of the cellular RNA, and based on the "stolen" structure, the virus begins to reproduce. If you block the activity of these proteins, the cell becomes more resistant to the virus.
In January 2018, the third phase of clinical trials of a new drug on volunteers with influenza was completed. The tests showed that flu symptoms persisted in patients for about the same time as when treated with other modern drugs. However, according to representatives of Shionogi & Co., their remedy destroyed viruses much faster – this reduced the period during which the patient remains contagious. Oseltamivir eliminated the flu in 72 hours, and patients taking placebo coped with the disease in an average of 96 hours.
According to the newspaper The Asahi Shimbun, The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan approved the production of the drug in early February 2018. The manufacturing company is awaiting official approval in March. If the ministry issues a permit, the first batch of the drug is planned to be released in May 2018. It will be possible to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of the drug in the "field conditions" in the winter of 2019. Whether it will be sold in other countries is still unknown.
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