Obeldesivir (GS-5245), a novel investigational small molecule oral antiviral, represents a new tool in the ongoing effort to prepare for future pandemics. Several researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Gillings School of Global Public Health are co-authors of a new study published online May 22 by the journal Science Translational Medicine . The study shares findings from an academic-corporate partnership between biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences and the Sheahan and Baric Labs at the Gillings School.
This is the same partnership that previously investigated remdesivir (sold under the brand name Veklury ® ). In 2020, remdesivir was authorized for emergency use and then fully approved during the COVID-19 pandemic. The drug works by stopping the SARS-CoV-2 virus from replicating.
Remdesivir helps shorten time to recovery and reduces disease progression and mortality, but patients must visit a health care setting for IV administration. Since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers have been working on an oral antiviral drug of the parent nucleoside of remdesivir that could stop replication of the virus. Oral bioavailability means that you can take the medicine by mouth and do not need to visit a health care setting to receive treatment.
That is a potential limitation for remdesivir, which is an IV drug. With a prescription, you could take an oral antiviral at home just like you would take Tylenol." Timothy Sheahan, PhD, expert virol.
