Abstract
The recent outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, is a global threat to human health. By in vitro screening and biochemical characterization, we identified the hepatitis C virus (HCV) protease inhibitor simeprevir as an especially promising repurposable drug for treating COVID-19. We also revealed that simeprevir synergizes with the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP) inhibitor remdesivir to suppress the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Our results provide preclinical rationale for the combination treatment of simeprevir and remdesivir for the pharmacological management of COVID-19 patients.
One Sentence Summary Discovery of simeprevir as a potent suppressor of SARS-CoV-2 viral replication that synergizes remdesivir.
Competing Interest Statement
CUHK and HKU have filed a US provisional patent application based on the finding of this manuscript. W.L.N., M.C.W.C., K.P.Y.H., H.S.L., K.S.K., H.K. and H.M.L. are inventors of the patent. F.K.L.C. has served as a consultant to Eisai, Pfizer, Takeda and Otsuka, and has been paid lecture fees by Eisai, Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Takeda.
