Remdesivir Effective In Stopping Coronavirus Replication - Findings Of Canadian Scientists

Remdesivir effective in stopping coronavirus replication - findings of Canadian scientists

Researchers from the University of Alberta said that the antiviral drug remdesivir "tricks" the virus by mimicking its building proteins.

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The antiviral drug remdesivir effectively stops the replication of the new coronavirus, University of Alberta Canadian scientists said. They published the results of their research in The Journal of Biological Chemistry. Earlier, the same scientists reported that the drug also works well against the MERS-CoV virus, the causative agent of the Middle East respiratory syndrome.

The article describes in detail the mechanism of the drug, which "deceives" viruses by mimicking its building proteins.

“These coronavirus polymerases are very reckless and easily misleading. The inhibitor is repeatedly involved in the replication process, and the virus is no longer able to multiply,”writes one of the study's authors, Matthias Guette.

The results of the work of Canadian scientists, supported by data from other studies on model animals and cell cultures, indicate that remdesivir can be classified as a "direct antiviral agent." This gives hope for successful clinical trials of the drug, which are now being carried out in several countries, including Russia.

At the same time, scientists warn that successful laboratory studies do not yet allow calling remdisivir a "magic pill" for coronavirus - clinical trials in humans are needed. They are supposed to be held in April-May.