NIH researchers identify potential new antiviral drug for COVID-19

The experimental drug Tempol, a novel antioxidant, may be a promising oral antiviral treatment for COVID-19, suggests a study of cell cultures by researchers at the USA’s National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Tempol can limit SARS-CoV-2 infection by impairing the activity of a viral enzyme called RNA replicase. The work was led by researchers at NIH’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The study appears in the peer reviewed journal Science.

“We urgently need additional effective, accessible treatments for COVID-19,” said Dr Diana Bianchi, NICHD director. “An oral drug that prevents SARS-CoV-2 from replicating would be an important tool for reducing the severity of the disease.”