ABSTRACT Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has spread worldwide since December 2019, causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Although vaccines for this virus have been developed rapidly, repurposing drugs approved to treat other diseases remains an invaluable treatment strategy. Here, we evaluated the inhibitory effects of drugs on SARS-CoV-2 replication in a hamster infection model and in in vitro assays. Favipiravir significantly suppressed virus replication in hamster lungs. Remdesivir inhibited virus replication in vitro , but was not effective in the hamster model. However, GS-441524, a metabolite of remdesivir, effectively suppressed virus replication in hamsters. Co-administration of favipiravir and GS-441524 more efficiently reduced virus load in hamster lungs than did single administration of either drug for both the prophylactic and therapeutic regimens; prophylactic co-administration also efficiently inhibited lung inflammation in the infected animals. Furthermore, pretreatment of hamsters with favipiravir and GS-441524 effectively protected them from virus transmission via respiratory droplets upon exposure to infected hamsters. Repurposing and co-administration of antiviral drugs may help combat COVID-19.
【저자키워드】 SARS-CoV-2, Remdesivir, Favipiravir, GS-441524, Syrian hamster, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Treatment, coronavirus disease, Vaccine, coronavirus, hamsters, Infection, lung, repurposing, virus transmission, drug, in vitro, Prophylactic, virus, antiviral drug, Spread, Lungs, therapeutic, virus replication, hamster, virus load, SARS-CoV-2 replication, metabolite, administration, Lung inflammation, acute respiratory syndrome, inhibitory effect, help, treat, respiratory droplet, effective, significantly, evaluated, inhibited, approved, reduced, suppressed, in vitro assays, other disease, 【제목키워드】 Model, hamster,