On Jun. 11, 2020, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals announced new data published in Science Translational Medicine that show, in a primate model, that galidesivir was safe, provided post-exposure prevention of Zika viral replication across a range of doses, and rapidly reduced viral loads to undetectable levels when dosed up to 72 hours after infection with Zika virus.

“Galidesivir reduced Zika virus replication from the first dose administered without impairing the adaptive immune response that protects against subsequent infection. These data provide an encouraging foundation for studying SARS-CoV-2, another RNA-replicating virus, in this same animal species,” said James B. Whitney, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the study.

Galidesivir is an investigational broad-spectrum antiviral drug that was safe and well tolerated in previously reported Phase 1 trials in healthy subjects. Galidesivir has demonstrated broad-spectrum activity in vitro against more than 20 RNA viruses in nine different families, including the coronaviruses that cause MERS and SARS. A Phase 1 trial to assess the safety, clinical impact and antiviral effects of galidesivir in patients with COVID-19 is currently enrolling patients across multiple sites in Brazil.