Johnson & Johnson has reported promising outcomes from a small human problem trial of their tablet for dengue fever.
Dengue is a rising illness risk with no particular therapies out there at present. On this trial, ten volunteers got a excessive dose of the J&J tablet 5 days earlier than being uncovered to dengue. They continued taking the tablet for 21 days after the publicity.
Six of those individuals confirmed no detectable dengue virus of their blood and no indicators of an immune response to the virus over 85 days of monitoring.
This antiviral tablet is a big improvement as there have been no particular therapies for dengue till now. Dengue fever is prevalent in Asia and Latin America, inflicting tens of millions of infections and tens of hundreds of deaths annually.
The trial outcomes are encouraging, and the subsequent step will probably be testing the tablet as a therapy. The drug works by blocking the motion of two viral proteins, stopping the virus from replicating itself.
Entry to this new drug, if it proves efficient on a bigger scale, will probably be a vital concern, significantly in low- and middle-income international locations the place dengue is prevalent.
That is paying homage to the challenges confronted by the dengue vaccine endorsed by the World Well being Group earlier this month. Johnson & Johnson is engaged on addressing this problem, although it is nonetheless within the early phases.
Dengue is prone to unfold additional resulting from local weather change, making it essential to develop efficient therapies.