EDP-938, a novel nucleoprotein inhibitor of respiratory syncytial virus, demonstrates potent antiviral activities in vitro and in a non-human primate model

EDP-938 is a novel non-fusion replication inhibitor of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). It is highly active against all RSV-A and B laboratory strains and clinical isolates tested in vitro in various cell lines and assays, with half-maximal effective concentrations (EC(50)s) of 21, 23 and 64 nM against Long (A), M37 (A) and VR-955 (B) strains, respectively, in the primary human bronchial epithelial cells (HBECs). EDP-938 inhibits RSV at a post-entry replication step of the viral life cycle as confirmed by time-of-addition study, and the activity appears to be mediated by viral nucleoprotein (N). In vitro resistance studies suggest that EDP-938 presents a higher barrier to resistance compared to viral fusion or non-nucleoside L polymerase inhibitors with no cross-resistance observed. Combinations of EDP-938 with other classes of RSV inhibitors lead to synergistic antiviral activity in vitro. Finally, EDP-938 has also been shown to be efficacious in vivo in a non-human primate model of RSV infection.