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. 2025 May;6(5):None. doi: 10.1016/j.lanmic.2024.101002

Table 2.

Therapeutic small molecules against NiV and HeV by drug name (and mechanism)

Reference Study design Funder
Ribavirin (nucleoside analogue prodrug) Warrier et al (2020)39 Clinical: compassionate use for treatment in NiV outbreak in Kochi, India, 2019 (n=1) NA
Chandni et al (2020)40 Clinical: compassionate use for treatment in NiV outbreak in Kerala, India, 2018 (n=12: 6 treated, 6 untreated)
Banerjee et al (2019)41 Clinical: compassionate use for postexposure prophylaxis of health-care workers during NiV outbreak in Kerala, India, 2018 (n=8)
Kumar et al (2019)42 Clinical: compassionate use for treatment in NiV outbreak in Kerala, India, 2018 (n=5)
Playford et al (2010)43 Clinical: compassionate use during HeV outbreak in Australia, 2008, for treatment (n=2) and postexposure prophylaxis (n=1)
Chong et al (2001)44 Clinical: compassionate use for treatment in NiV outbreak in Malaysia, 1998–99
(n=194: 140 treated, 54 untreated)
Rockx et al (2010)45 Animal: African green monkey challenge with HeV (n=12)
 4 × 105 TCID50 intratracheal for efficacy
Ribavirin (nucleoside analogue prodrug), 6-azauridine (orotidine monophosphate decarboxylase inhibitor), and rintatolimod (toll-like receptor 3 agonist interferon inducer) Georges-Courbot et al (2006)46 Animal: hamster challenge with NiV-M for efficacy (n=18)
350 × LD50 intraperitoneal
Animal: hamster challenge with NiV-M for efficacy (n=18)
 35 × LD50 intraperitoneal
NA
Ribavirin (nucleoside analogue prodrug) and chloroquine (lysosome alkalinisation) Freiberg et al (2010)47 Animal: hamster challenge with NiV-M (n=41) and HeV (n=20) for efficacy (n=85)
 104 TCID50 intraperitoneal
US NIH
Chloroquine (lysosome alkalinisation) Pallister et al (2009)48 Animal: ferret challenge with NiV-M for efficacy and pharmacokinetics (n=8)
 5 × 103 TCID50 oronasal
US NIH
Remdesivir (nucleoside analogue) de Wit et al (2023)49 Animal: African green monkey challenge with NiV-B for efficacy (n=18)
 105 TCID50 intranasal plus 105 TCID50 intratracheal
US NIH
Lo et al (2019)50 Animal: African green monkey challenge with NiV-B for efficacy (n=8)
 105 TCID50 intranasal plus 105 TCID50 intratracheal
Jordan et al (2017)51 Animal: African green monkey challenge with NiV-B for efficacy
 Lethal dose (unspecified)
Favipiravir (nucleoside analogue prodrug) Dawes et al (2018)52 Animal: hamster challenge with NiV-M for efficacy (n=18)
 104 PFU intraperitoneal
US NIH
Griffithsin (fusion and cell entry inhibitor) Lo et al (2020)53 Animals: hamster challenge with NiV-B for efficacy (n=65)
 107 TCID50 intranasal
US NIH and US CDC
Periodate heparin (competitive inhibitor of transinfection) Mathieu et al (2015)54 Animal: hamster challenge with NiV-M for efficacy (n=15)
 500 × LD50 intraperitoneal
INSERM
Fusion inhibitory lipopeptides (fusion and cell entry inhibitors): VIKI-dPEG4-Chol, VIKI-dPEG4-Toco, VG-PEG24-chol, and VIKI-PEG4-chol Mathieu et al (2018)55 Animal: hamster challenge with NiV-M for efficacy (n=38)
 106 PFU (100 × LD50) intranasal
Animal: African green monkey challenge with NiV-M for efficacy (n=10)
2 × 107 PFU intratracheal
Animal: African green monkey biodistribution (n=4)
US NIH and INSERM
Mathieu et al (2017)56 Animal: hamster challenge with NiV-M for efficacy (n=13)
100 × LD50 intraperitoneal
Animal: Hamster biodistribution (n=6)
Porotto et al (2010)57 Animal: hamster challenge with NiV (strain unspecified) for efficacy (n=35)
100 × LD50 intraperitoneal
Defective interfering particles (virus-like particles containing defective interfering genomes that inhibit replication): DI-07, DI-10, DI-14, and DI-35 Welch et al (2022)58 Animal: hamster challenge with NiV-M for efficacy (n=153)
 Experiment 1: 104 TCID50 intraperitoneal
Experiment 2: 106 TCID50 intranasal
US CDC
Ceftriaxone (bacterial cell wall synthesis inhibitor), clarithromycin (bacterial protein synthesis inhibitor), and aciclovir (nucleoside analogue) Paton et al (1999)11 Clinical: empirical syndromic treatment during outbreak in Singapore, 1999 (n=11) NA

CDC=Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. dPEG=discrete polyethylene glycol. HeV=Hendra virus. INSERM=Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale. LD50=median lethal dose. NA=not available. NIH=National Institutes of Health. NiV-B=Nipah virus Bangladesh. NiV-M=Nipah virus Malaysia. PFU=plaque-forming units. TCID50=median tissue culture infectious dose.

Please see appendix pp 12–16 for the full table.