A new drug duo against influenza virus

Influenza is an important health threat and a leading cause of mortality from an infectious disease globally. Vaccinations offer limited protection, and resistance emerged against all antiviral drugs. Therefore, the discovery of new antivirals is key. The current study aims to discover antivirals by targeting the pathogen’s channel. Using a combined approach, a synergistic combination of arainosine and theobromine is shown to be particularly potent against swine flu, avian flu, aminoadamantane-sensitive and resistant strains, outperforming oseltamivir, the leading antiflu drug. Additionally, the drug duo elicited less resistance in comparison to aminoadamantanes. The outcome of the study represents a promising antiviral candidate and an approach that can be applied to many other viruses.

Have a look at the publication:

Lahiri H, Israeli E, Krugliak M, Basu K, Britan-Rosich Y, Ravins Yaish T,

Arkin IT. A bacteria-based search for drugs against avian and swine flu yields a potent and resistance-resilient channel blocker. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2025 Aug 5;122(31):e2502240122. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2502240122.