New drug nucleozin may fight H1N1, H3N2, and H5N1 flu viruses

A new drug that can cure almost all types of flu infections including H5N1 bird flu and seasonal flu has been found promising in studies.

The new experimental compound named nucleozin can effectively prevent H5N1 bird and seasonal human flu viruses from replicating, according to a new study conducted in mice and cell culture.

Nucleozin slowed influenza A virus replication with a nanomolar median effective concentration (EC50) and protected mice challenged with lethal doses of avian influenza A H5N1.

Researchers believe that nucleozin is a valid target for the development of small-molecule therapies.

Antiviral resistance to available drugs such as adamantanes or neuraminidase inhibitors has appeared rapidly creating a need for new antiviral targets and new drugs for influenza virus infections.

Nucleozin is selected from a chemical library with more than 50,000 compounds, can fight both seasonal flu viruses and the H5N1 in mice and cell culture.

Nucleozin is a highly potent compound that targets nucleoprotein, a protein responsible for leading the viral genome into the cell nucleus, assisting viral transcription and genome replication and facilitating viral genome assembly.

Scientists expect the compound is effective in fighting H1N1, H3N2, and H5N1 flu virus strains and therefore can be used as a target to develop antiviral therapeutics against influenza in the near future.

Influenza A remains a significant public health challenge because of the emergence of antigenically shifted or highly virulent strains.

As of 24th May 2010, 1527 deaths have been reported in India, according to a Press Information Buraeu release from the ministry of health and family welfare.

Till date, samples from 140055 persons have been tested for Influenza A H1N1 in Government Laboratories   and a few private Laboratories across the country and 31904 (22.77%) of them have been found positive.

India has already started H1N1 vaccination drive against swine flu in the coming weeks as the bridge clinical trials to ascertain safety of the imported vaccine samples from Sanofi Pasteur is completed and the data submitted for regulatory review.

Indian Government has imported 1.5 million doses of vaccines from Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi Aventis Group

Currently, Roche Holding AG’s Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and GlaxoSmithKline Plc’s Relenza (zanamivir) are only available antivirals to  treat the pandemic H1N1 swine infection.