PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Muhammad Nawaz
AU  - Muhammad Asad Ali
AU  - Muhammad Adnan Ashraf
AU  - Muhammad Zubair Shabbir
AU  - Muhammad Abu Bakr Shabbir
AU  - Imran Altaf
AU  - Sohail Raza
AU  - Saira Rafique
AU  - Sohail Hassan
AU  - Nageen Sardar
AU  - Adnan Mehmood
AU  - Muhammad Waqar Aziz
AU  - Sehar Fazal
AU  - Muhammad Tahir Khan
AU  - Muhammad Moavia Attique
AU  - Ali Asif
AU  - Zia Ullah
AU  - Mubashir Iqbal
AU  - Talha Imtiaz
AU  - Muhammad Anwar
AU  - Nadia Mukhtar
AU  - Tahir Yaqub
TI  - An assessment of efficacy of Iodine complex (Renessans) against SARS-CoV-2 in non-human primates (<em>Rhesus macaque</em>)
AID  - 10.1101/2020.11.17.377432
DP  - 2020 Jan 01
TA  - bioRxiv
PG  - 2020.11.17.377432
4099  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/11/18/2020.11.17.377432.short
4100  - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/11/18/2020.11.17.377432.full
AB  - Renessans is an iodine complex which has proven in vitro antiviral activity including Anti-SARS-CoV-2 activity. The present study was designed to determine its efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 in monkeys (Rhesus macaque). A total of 14 monkeys were divided into four groups: A) Prophylactic group (n=03), (B) Treatment group (n=03), (C) infection control group (n=04) and (D) negative control group (n=04) and were housed in BSL-3 Animal facility while group D was housed at another animal house. Group A was administered with Renessans @ 2.85 mg/7 kg from 5 days prior to the infection to 08 days post infections (DPI). Group B was administered with Renessans from 03-08 DPI @ 2.85 mg/7 kg. Group C was administered with WIF only. The infection @ 2 × 106 TCID of SARS-CoV-2 was given to all group monkeys through intranasal and oral route under anesthesia. Nasal swab samples (at different times) and fecal matter on daily basis were collected for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 through real-time quantitative PCR. Three monkeys (one from each of group A, B and C) were euthanized at 07 DPI to determine the gross pathological lesions and SARS-CoV-2 detection from internal tissues. Nasal swabs from all the monkeys from group A, B and C were positive for SARS-CoV-2 at 02 and 07 DPI (Day 05 of treatment). At 14 DPI, all (100%) nasal swabs from group A were negative for SARS-CoV-2 while 50% and 100% were positive from group B and C, respectively. At 21 DPI, monkeys from group B were negative and all in group C were still positive for SARS-CoV-2. Similarly, fecal matter of monkeys in group A and B was returned negative in significantly lesser time as compared to monkeys from infection control group. Based on these research findings it is concluded that the Renessans has in-vivo SARS-CoV-2 activity and may result in early clearance of SARS-CoV-2. Therefore, a clinical trial of the drug in COVID-19 patients may reveal its anti-COVID-19 potential.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.