The development of a pan serotype active NS4B inhibitor against dengue virus

Dengue disease is on the World Health Organization (WHO) list of ?10 threats to global health in 2019?. The virus infects an estimated 50-100 million people per year, causing 22,000 deaths. There is no drug available to treat dengue, so patients are given supportive therapy with fluid replacement. At the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases (NITD), more than a decade of research has yielded a first-in-class dengue virus inhibitor. The novel compound directly blocks viral replication and demonstrates efficacy against all four serotypes of dengue virus in cultured cells, as well as in infected mice. It also shows a good safety profile in preliminary rat and dog studies. With the support of a Wellcome Trust Innovator grant, we propose to progress the compound into advanced preclinical safety testing. These key studies should enable the compound to enter clinical trials, and potentially deliver the first oral drug for dengue virus.