Mosnodenvir, a promising oral antiviral drug candidate against dengue, has shown efficacy in humans in phase 2a research and is ready for the next development stage. All rights to mosnodenvir have been transferred back to KU Leuven. Together with the Centre for Drug Design and Discovery (CD3), KU Leuven is now looking for partners to build upon more than ten years of research and extensive preclinical and clinical studies with mosnodenvir.
In a study published this week in The New England Journal of Medicine, Professor Anna Durbin (Johns Hopkins University) and her colleagues once again demonstrate that mosnodenvir is active against dengue infections. The results also suggest that a weekly dose may be sufficient. As there are currently no antiviral drugs available against dengue, mosnodenvir could help fill a significant gap in global healthcare.
Dengue poses a major and growing threat to public health worldwide, with an estimated 400 million infections annually and 100 million people falling ill. Nearly 4 billion people in over 129 countries are at risk of infection. There is no antiviral medicine to prevent or treat dengue. Mosnodenvir is a small-molecule antiviral drug that can be taken orally and is effective against all four serotypes of the dengue virus. It is the first drug candidate to demonstrate antiviral activity against dengue in humans, as shown in a phase 2a study. New clinical results reinforce its efficacy and indicate that a weekly dose may suffice. Approximately 900 people have received mosnodenvir in studies, with no safety issues reported.
The rights to this advanced drug candidate have returned to KU Leuven, offering a new opportunity for further development. In collaboration with Wellcome, the university is now seeking a partner with the necessary expertise and capacity to advance mosnodenvir. This presents a rare chance to build on a decade of research and drug development, avoiding the need to start from scratch. Dr. Patrick Chaltin, General Director of CD3, emphasized the need for the right partner to take the next steps.
Dr. Sally Nicholas, Head of Vector Control and Therapeutics at Wellcome, stated that mosnodenvir could make a real difference for people living with the threat of dengue, and an effective antiviral agent would be a much-needed weapon in the fight against the disease.
