Nirmatrelvir and molnupiravir maintain potent in vitro and in vivo antiviral activity against circulating SARS-CoV-2 omicron subvariants.

Publication date: Oct 01, 2024

Variants of SARS-CoV-2 pose significant challenges in public health due to their increased transmissibility and ability to evade natural immunity, vaccine protection, and monoclonal antibody therapeutics. The emergence of the highly transmissible Omicron variant and subsequent subvariants, characterized by an extensive array of over 32 mutations within the spike protein, intensifies concerns regarding vaccine evasion. In response, multiple antiviral therapeutics have received FDA emergency use approval, targeting the SARS-CoV-2 RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) and main protease (Mpro) regions, known to have relatively fewer mutations across novel variants. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy of nirmatrelvir (PF-07321332) and other clinically significant SARS-CoV-2 antivirals against a diverse panel of SARS-CoV-2 variants, encompassing the newly identified Omicron subvariants XBB1. 5 and JN. 1, using live-virus antiviral assays. Our findings demonstrate that while the last Omicron subvariants exhibited heightened pathogenicity in our animal model, nirmatrelvir and other clinically relevant antivirals consistently maintained their efficacy against all tested variants, including the XBB1. 5 subvariant.

Concepts Keywords
Antivirals 3CLpro
Approval Adenosine Monophosphate
Live Adenosine Monophosphate
Vaccine Alanine
Alanine
Animal models
Animals
Antiviral Agents
Antiviral Agents
Chlorocebus aethiops
COVID-19
COVID-19 Drug Treatment
Cytidine
Cytidine
Humans
Hydroxylamines
Hydroxylamines
Lactams
Lactams
Leucine
Leucine
Mice
molnupiravir
Mpro
Mutation
nirmatrelvir
Nirmatrelvir
Nitriles
Nitriles
Proline
Proline
SARS-CoV-2
SARS-CoV-2
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
Vero Cells
VOC

Semantics

Type Source Name
disease IDO protein
disease MESH emergency
drug DRUGBANK Adenosine phosphate
drug DRUGBANK L-Alanine
disease MESH COVID-19
drug DRUGBANK Cytidine
drug DRUGBANK L-Leucine
drug DRUGBANK Proline

Original Article

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