Clinical-Stage Drug Inhibits Zika Virus Infections

Sweden-based TikoMed today announced an in vitro study examining the ability of the company's lead drug candidate ILB® to inhibit infection of human cells by four serotypes of Dengue virus (DENV1-4), two strains of Zika virus (African and Asian), and Yellow Fever virus (vaccine strain YF17D).

In the non-peer-reviewed study published on September 2, 2022, ILB® potently inhibited infection by all the strains of Dengue, Zika, and Yellow Fever virus in a concentration-dependent manner with IC50 for ILB® ranging from 31 to 343 μg/ml.

Professor Nicholas Barnes, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology & CEO, Celentyx Ltd, commented in a press release, "It is well recognized that infection by flaviviruses like Dengue, Zika, and Yellow Fever virus can lead to catastrophic, life-threatening conditions."

"This emphasizes the clinical need for safe and effective medicines to treat these infections."

"What I find particularly exciting about these results is the effects observed at ILB® concentrations achieved in humans following doses that have been well tolerated."

"These findings offer hope to the millions of patients that continue to be devastated by flavivirus infections."

While symptoms from Dengue, Zika, and Yellow Fever virus infection may be mild for some, they are severe and can be life-threatening.

Zika infection can have catastrophic consequences for pregnant women following the passing of the virus to their fetus with miscarriage or congenital disabilities, including microcephaly, that can be fatal.

As of September 7, 2022, the U.S. FDA has not approved a Zika vaccine.

Additional Zike vaccine news is posted at ZikaNews.com/Vaccine.

Note: This announcement was manually translated and curated for mobile readership.