Treatment of Highly Pathogenic H7N9 Virus-Infected Mice with Baloxavir Marboxil

• Published in: Viruses Vol. 11; no. 11; p. 1066
• Main Authors: Kiso, Maki, Yamayoshi, Seiya, Furusawa, Yuri, Imai, Masaki, Kawaoka, Yoshihiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 15.11.2019; MDPI
• Subjects: Amino acids; Antiviral drugs; Avian flu; avian influenza; baloxavir marboxil; China; Communication; Dosage; Drug dosages; Drug resistance; enzyme inhibitors; Exo-a-sialidase; h7n9; highly pathogenic; humans; Immunization; Infections; Influenza; Influenza A; Influenza A virus; Lungs; Mammals; mice; Mutation; Oseltamivir; patients; Respiratory organs; sialidase; therapeutics; virus replication; Viruses; Zoonoses; Japan; China; highly pathogenic; influenza; baloxavir marboxil; H7N9
• ISSN: 1999-4915; 1999-4915
• DOI: 10.3390/v11111066

Viral neuraminidase inhibitors show limited efficacy in mice infected with H7N9 influenza A viruses isolated from humans. Although baloxavir marboxil protected mice from lethal challenge infection with a low pathogenic avian influenza H7N9 virus isolated from a human, its efficacy in mice infected with a recent highly pathogenic version of H7N9 human isolates is unknown. Here, we examined the efficacy of baloxavir marboxil in mice infected with a highly pathogenic human H7N9 virus, A/Guangdong/17SF003/2016. Treatment of infected mice with a single 1.5 mg/kg dose of baloxavir marboxil protected mice from the highly pathogenic human H7N9 virus infection as effectively as oseltamivir treatment at 50 mg/kg twice a day for five days. Daily treatment for five days at 15 or 50 mg/kg of baloxavir marboxil showed superior therapeutic efficacy, largely preventing virus replication in respiratory organs. These results indicate that baloxavir marboxil is a valuable candidate treatment for human patients suffering from highly pathogenic H7N9 virus infection.