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Eritoran, a very effective new flu-beating pill
– Reported, May 03, 2013
A new pill to combat the misery of flu is being developed by scientists. Patients will be able to take the pill once the virus has developed, rather than having a preventative injection.
Experiments on mice infected with a normally lethal dose of the virus showed that the drug Eritoran can improve survival rates. Previous research has shown serious lung damage caused by the flu virus is the result of an immune response to the infection by a protein called TLR4 (Toll-like receptor 4). Dr Stefanie Vogel and colleagues at Maryland University, U.S., showed that Eritoran destroyed this chemical in the lab rodents. The drug improved symptoms and prevented death when administered up to six days after infection.
Existing antivirals must be given within three days to be effective. Flu kills hundreds of people every year in Britain. Annual epidemics are estimated to result in three to five million cases of severe illness and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths worldwide. The virus is continually evolving and new variants give rise to seasonal outbreaks.
Increasing resistance to existing antiviral therapies, and the short time-frame in which these drugs are effective, highlight the critical need for new treatments such as Eritoran.
Professor Vogel said: During annual influenza epidemics five to 15 per cent of the population is affected with upper respiratory tract infections with hospitalisation and death occurring mainly in the elderly and chronically ill. In addition, strains to which humans have no prior immunity may appear suddenly and the resulting pandemics can be catastrophic as illustrated by the 1918 Spanish flu that killed millions.
There is a pressing need to develop alternatives to annual influenza vaccines and antiviral agents licensed for mitigating influenza infection. She said Eritoran – also known as E5564 – is a potent, well-tolerated, synthetic TLR4 antagonist which blocks influenza-induced death in mice, as well as lung disease and clinical symptoms. Professor Vogel said: In contrast to current antivirals that must be administered soon after infection, Eritoran treatment significantly enhanced survival, even when started as late as six days after infection. This more practical timing of treatment may enable effective clinical treatment of influenza and, perhaps, other infectious agents.
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