Warning: This is a preliminary report that has not been peer-reviewed. It should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or be reported in news media as established information.

Enisamium is a small molecule inhibitor of the influenza A virus and SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerases (Preliminary Report)

Influenza A virus and coronavirus strains cause a mild to severe respiratory disease that can result in death. Although vaccines exist against circulating influenza A viruses, such vaccines are ineffective against emerging pandemic influenza A viruses. Currently, no vaccine exists against coronavirus infections, including pandemic SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of ...
the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). To combat these RNA virus infections, alternative antiviral strategies are needed. A key drug target is the viral RNA polymerase, which is responsible for viral RNA synthesis. In January 2020, the World Health Organisation identified enisamium as a candidate therapeutic against SARS-CoV-2. Enisamium is an isonicotinic acid derivative that is an inhibitor of multiple influenza B and A virus strains in cell culture and clinically approved in 11 countries. Here we show using in vitro assays that enisamium and its putative metabolite, VR17-04, inhibit the activity of both the influenza virus RNA polymerase as well as the SARS-CoV-2 RNA polymerase complex. These results suggest that enisamium is a broad-spectrum small molecule inhibitor of RNA virus RNA synthesis, and implicate it as a possible therapeutic option for treating SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Date: May. 11, 2020
Status: Preliminary Report
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