First pill for dengue - JNJ-1802 - shows promise

A new pill for dengue fever developed by US healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) appeared to protect against a form of the virus in a handful of patients in a small human challenge trial in the USA, according to data presented by the company on Friday.

Data from a Phase IIa human challenge study evaluating JNJ-1802, a first-in-class oral antiviral in development for the prevention of dengue were presented at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene Annual Meeting in Chicago.

JNJ-1802 is the first antiviral to show such activity in humans during a clinical trial. The compound has advanced to a community-based field study to establish efficacy against circulating dengue serotypes in a real-world setting. The study is being conducted in 30+ sites in 10 countries, including Philippines, Thailand, Peru, Brazil and Colombia.