A HCV drug as potent treatment for COVID-19

A group of international scientists from local and overseas laboratories, including mainland, the United States, France, Germany, South Korea and Taiwan, has discovered a potent treatment for COVID-19. Using a combination of biochemistry, cell biology and computational chemistry techniques, the laboratory tests showed that the hepatitis C virus drug, simeprevir, is able to suppress the replication of SARS-CoV-2. The combination of this drug with remdesivir (an existing prescribed drug for seriously ill COVID-19 patients) can result in drug synergism and generate an even more effective outcome. This promising discovery of the team had shed light on the future of vaccine development.

Anyone interested in future collaboration in this field of research is welcome to contact our key investigator Prof. Billy NG from School of Pharmacy, CUHK. Prof Ng’s research focuses on chemical biology, drug discovery, and medicinal chemistry.