COVID-19 Antiviral Resistance Reported

A recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances indicates that the protease inhibitor Paxlovid could soon become less effective in treating COVID-19 infections.

This new research shows that simple single amino acid changes in SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus main protease could severely undermine the efficacy of antiviral drugs. 

To lower the risk of resistance, the researchers say protease inhibitors must be carefully designed to avoid simple resistance mutations. 

Announced on March 29, 2023, and conducted by the Midwest Antiviral Drug Discovery Center in Minnesota, this study shows that drug-resistant variants have appeared multiple times independently in different parts of the world, with regional clusters providing evidence for person-to-person transmission.

Further research will likely develop additional next-generation protease inhibitors with different resistance profiles and drugs targeting other viral processes, such as replication or cell entry.

A multi-drug approach—like existing therapies for HIV and Hepatitis C virus — could further help to protect against resistance and cure SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals, wrote these researchers.