Hyundai Bioscience opens new chapter in world’s antiviral drug history

The birth of a universal antiviral drug with a mechanism applicable to all viral infections is approaching. This antiviral agent, developed in Korea, has an innovative ‘viral removal’ mechanism applicable to all viruses, unlike existing antiviral agents that target only specific viruses. It is expected to open a new chapter in the world’s antiviral drug history if it produces valid clinical results. Hyundai Bioscience has announced that phase 2 clinical trial of CPCOV03 for COVID-19 patients has begun. CPCOV03 is an orally administered antiviral drug (active ingredient: niclosamide) developed as a universal treatment for viral diseases including COVID-19. CP-COV03 is an innovative broadspectrum antiviral agent with a pharmacological action that helps human cells to remove viruses by promoting ‘autophagy’ mechanism, in which cells recognise the virus as a foreign substance and remove it themselves. If CP-COV03 is confirmed to be effective against COVID-19 in this clinical study, it means that a universal antiviral drug is born not only for COVID-19 and its variants, but also for almost all other viruses such as influenza, hepatitis, AIDS, Ebola, and herpes.