Gaucher’s disease drugs effective against virus, Israeli researchers say

Scientists from the Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR) say that the analogues of two drugs designed to treat Gaucher’s disease are effective against coronavirus and can potentially serve as a broad-spectrum antiviral therapy for SARS-CoV-2 in any second wave.

Specifically, IIBR tested on cell cultures whether the synthesis of glycosphingolipids, biologically active components of cell membranes, can serve as an antiviral therapeutic target against SARS-CoV-2. To do so, they examined the analogues of the drugs Cerdelga and Remdesivir.

The FDA has already approved Cerdelga and has issued an Emergency Use Authorization for Remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19.

Scientists found that antiviral treatment using both drugs led to a significant reduction in the replication capacity of the coronavirus and to the destruction of the infected cell. This decrease in virus replication prevents further cell damage following infection.

“Infection with SARS-CoV-2 reduced cell viability to 40% in the untreated cell,” a 24-page report by IIBR showed. However, when treated with Cerdelga and Remdesivir, cell viability was increased to between 75% and 100%, demonstrating that they “have an antiviral effect on the SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolate in vitro,” the paper said. A single dose is able to significantly inhibit viral replication within 24 to 48 hours.

The team found similar results when testing the analogues on Influenza A, West Nile fever and Sindbis viruses.

“This indicates their potential in treating various viral diseases effectively – including future outbreaks of new viruses – once they are clinically approved,” a release about the research disseminated by the Defense Ministry said.

The IIBR report was published on BioRxiv.

Now, the scientists are testing the drugs on animals to see if they get the same results. If so, the treatment could be readily available since analogues of the specific compounds tested have already been studied clinically and they can be fast-tracked for public use.

IIBR has been at the forefront of the fight against the novel coronavirus. Earlier this month, it filed patent requests for eight types of coronavirus antibodies that it has isolated and that will be used for the development of a future drug to treat COVID-19, the disease it causes.

The institute also reported that it had successfully completed its coronavirus vaccine experiments on rodents and is moving on to test it on other animals before testing humans.