Chinese drug shows promise against Nipah virus in study

Chinese researchers have demonstrated that an existing oral antiviral medication exhibits potent activity against the Nipah virus, a lethal threat that kills up to 70 percent of those it infects.

The study, recently published in the international journal Emerging Microbes & Infections, reveals that VV116, a nucleoside drug already approved for COVID-19 treatment in China and Uzbekistan, significantly inhibited Nipah virus strains in laboratory settings and improved survival rates in animal trials.

Titled "The oral nucleoside drug VV116 is a promising candidate for treating Nipah virus infection," the research represents a scientific confirmation of VV116's therapeutic potential against the bat-borne virus, which the World Health Organization has designated a top-priority regional threat.

Following outbreaks in India and Bangladesh between 2023 and 2026 that showed an alarming expansion in frequency and geographic range, the virus re-emerged in West Bengal this January, claiming lives and forcing health authorities to quarantine nearly 100 close contacts. Since its initial Malaysian outbreak in 1998, Nipah has maintained a chilling fatality rate between 40 and 70 percent, with no approved vaccines or specific therapeutics currently available.

Led by research teams from the Wuhan Institute of Virology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the collaborative effort also involved the Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica and Vigonvita Life Sciences Co., Ltd.

The findings showed that both VV116 and its metabolically active form demonstrated strong inhibitory effects against both major Nipah strains: the Malaysian genotype (NiV-M) and the more virulent Bangladeshi variant (NiV-B). As a prodrug targeting the viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), an enzyme essential for viral replication, the compound effectively interrupted the pathogen's life cycle at the molecular level.

In lethal infection models using golden hamsters, oral administration of VV116 at 400 milligrams per kilogram of body weight achieved a 66.7 percent survival rate among test subjects. Treated animals also showed dramatically reduced viral loads in critical organs, including the lungs, spleen and brain.

Medical experts note that the drug's existing regulatory approvals for human use against COVID-19 could accelerate its potential deployment against Nipah outbreaks. Beyond therapeutic applications, researchers suggest VV116 could serve as a prophylactic tool for high-risk populations, including healthcare workers, laboratory personnel and communities in outbreak zones.