NITD008 is an
antiviral drug
Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Antiviral drugs are a class of antimicrobials ...
classified as an
adenosine analog (a type of
nucleoside analog). It was developed as a potential treatment for
flavivirus infections and shows broad spectrum antiviral activity against many related viruses such as
dengue virus
Dengue virus (DENV) is the cause of dengue fever. It is a mosquito-borne, single positive-stranded RNA virus of the family ''Flaviviridae''; genus '' Flavivirus''. Four serotypes of the virus have been found, and a reported fifth has yet to be ...
,
West Nile virus
West Nile virus (WNV) is a single-stranded RNA virus that causes West Nile fever. It is a member of the family ''Flaviviridae'', from the genus ''Flavivirus'', which also contains the Zika virus, dengue virus, and yellow fever virus. The virus ...
,
yellow fever virus,
Powassan virus,
hepatitis C virus
The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a small (55–65 nm in size), enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA virus of the family ''Flaviviridae''. The hepatitis C virus is the cause of hepatitis C and some cancers such as liver cancer ( hepatoc ...
,
Kyasanur Forest disease virus,
Omsk hemorrhagic fever virus, and
Zika virus
Zika virus (ZIKV; pronounced or ) is a member of the virus family ''Flaviviridae''. It is spread by daytime-active ''Aedes'' mosquitoes, such as '' A. aegypti'' and '' A. albopictus''. Its name comes from the Ziika Forest of Uganda, where ...
. However, NITD008 proved too toxic in pre-clinical animal testing to be suitable for human trials, but it continues to be used in research to find improved treatments for emerging viral diseases.
See also
*
Favipiravir, a drug approved by China, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Thailand, and Turkey for treating COVID-19 patients
*
MK-608, a drug with a similar structure
*
Remdesivir
Remdesivir, sold under the brand name Veklury, Text was copied from this source which is copyright European Medicines Agency. Reproduction is authorized provided the source is acknowledged. is a Broad-spectrum antiviral drug, broad-spectrum ...
, FDA approved antiviral drug with a similar structure
*
Ribavirin
Ribavirin, also known as tribavirin, is an antiviral medication used to treat illness caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, as well as some viral hemorrhagic fevers. For HCV, it is used in combi ...
, another antiviral drug with teratogenic side effects that was patented by Merck in 1971 and approved by the FDA in 1986
References
{{RNA antivirals
Anti–RNA virus drugs
Nucleosides
Pyrrolopyrimidines
Ethynyl compounds