New study points out that masitinib may be the most effective drug against COVID-19

American researchers, from a library of nearly 2,000 antiviral drugs, have selected the best candidates against Covid and found one on which they are now optimistic, since it has generated a reduction of more than 99% of viral load in mice. This is called masitinib. This was published by the prestigious magazine The Science.

Masitinib is a broad 3CL inhibitor of the coronavirus, which blocks the replication of SARS-CoV-2 “), is the result of scientists from the universities of Chicago and Duke. What does masitinib do in its interaction with the coronavirus? It inhibits the one of the enzymes of SARS, crucial for its replication: the viral protease.

The results showed that masitinib is potent against several coronaviruses and picornaviruses (human pathogens that cause various illnesses, including colds, meningitis, hepatitis, and polio). Therefore, masitinib is a relatively broad spectrum antiviral with potential activity against several viruses that depend on the 3CL protease to complete their life cycle.

Masitinib is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat a type of animals, especially dogs. It has been studied for several human diseases including melanoma, multiple myeloma, gastrointestinal cancer, pancreatic cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, mastocytosis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and COVID-19.

In a previous study, masitinib was shown to reduce airway inflammation and improve lung function in a feline model of asthma. As one of the main complications caused by the coronavirus is acute respiratory distress, “the combined antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties of masitinib may be of benefit for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. However, the timing of the anti-inflammatory effects of masitinib needs to be carefully studied, as it is not clear whether a reduction in the inflammatory response would be desirable in the early stages of the disease dominated by viral replication, ”the scientists say. job. .