GS-5806 (presatovir) selectively inhibits 75 clinical isolates of RSV A and B subtypes (EC
50 = 0.43 nmol/L). The compound maintained potency in primary human airway epithelial cells and exhibited low cytotoxicity in human cell lines and primary cell cultures (selectivity >23,000-fold)
72. In healthy adults infected with RSV, treatment with GS-5806 significantly reduced viral load, total mucus produced, and total symptom score
73. The bis-substituted benzimidazole derivative BMS-233675 is a potent RSV fusion inhibitor targeting F protein with EC
50 and CC
50 values of 0.34 and 84 μmol/L, respectively
74. After a series of modifications, BMS-433771, with better oral availability and higher anti-RSV activity (average EC
50 = 20 nmol/L) was obtained
75. Animal experiments showed that the compound was effective in reducing virus titers in the lungs of cotton rats and BALB/c mice when administered 1 h before RSV inoculation
76. Through some subtle modifications of BMS-433771, JNJ-53718678 was developed by Jansen Pharmaceuticals. Oral treatment of neonatal lambs with JNJ-53718678 effectively inhibits established acute lower respiratory tract infection in the animals
77. In healthy adults, JNJ-53718678 treatment significantly reduced viral load and disease severity
78. The clinical trial of JNJ-53718678 in adult and adolescent participants, infected by RSV, who had undergone hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation was terminated for strategic reasons, not because of safety concerns (NCT04332523). Zheng et al. reported an RSV F protein inhibitor, Ziresovir (RO-0529, AK0529). In cell experiments, the EC
50 of Ziresovir reached the low nM level for both laboratory and clinically isolated RSV strains. In BALB/c mouse model of RSV infection treated with Ziresovir, viral load was reduced more than one log. Ziresovir has moved to clinical development due to its favorable and balanced preclinical profile of antiviral, DMPK, and toxicological properties
79. A study assessing the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of Ziresovir in healthy subjects was completed in 2022, but the findings are not yet available (NCT04788017). In a phase 3, multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted in China, Ziresovir treatment reduced signs and symptoms of bronchiolitis in infants and young children hospitalized with RSV infection and no safety concerns were identified (NCT04231968)
80. In a screening of 130,000 compounds, Johnson & Johnson found JNJ-2408068 (R170591)
81,82. Although JNJ-2408068 was highly effective in both tissue culture and lung testing in cotton rats, it was found to have long tissue retention and was therefore not suitable for further development as an antiviral compound
83,84. After structural optimization, TMC353121 was obtained, which retained the potency of JNJ-2408068, but eliminated its disadvantage of long-term tissue retention. TMC353121 inhibits both virus–cell and cell–cell fusion and could be added as late as 15 h postinfection and still inhibit syncytia formation by 50%
85. In HeLa/M cells, RSV replication was effectively inhibited when administered 3 h after infection, and 50% syncytium formation was inhibited even when administered 15 h after infection
86. However, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies of TMC353121 in RSV-infected cotton rats found that the effective dose of TMC353121 was more than 2000 times higher than the dose required for cultured cells (0.07 ng/mL), partly due to loss of activity caused by binding to serum proteins
87. One active biphenyl analogue, CL387626, was discovered by researchers at Wyeth-Ayerst Research. It was effective in inhibiting RSV infection with an IC
50 of 0.05 μmol/L
88. A single 30 mg/kg dose of CL387626 administered intranasally 4 or 5 days prior to virus challenge, significantly inhibited pulmonary replication of RSV
89. Modification of the chemical structure of CL-387626 led to the discovery of RFI-641, which was more effective than CL-387626 in protecting against RSV in different animal models, including African green monkeys, BALB/c mice, and cotton rats
90-92. However, neither CL-387626 nor RFI-641 was further developed. Using a drug repurposing strategy, lonafarnib, a licensed farnesyltransferase inhibitor, and phase III candidate for hepatitis delta virus (HDV) therapy, was identified as an RSV fusion protein inhibitor. Surface plasmon resonance reveals the binding of lonafarnib to RSV fusion protein, and co-crystallography identifies the lonafarnib binding site within RSV F. Oral administration of lonafarnib dose-dependently reduces RSV virus load in a murine infection model using female mice. However, lonafarnib's efficacy is lower compared with the above-mentioned clinical stage inhibitors. Furthermore, lonafarnib also inhibits farnesyltransferases and may therefore have unwanted side effects, particularly when administered orally and at high doses
93. 3,4-
O-Dicaffeoylquinic acid methyl ester (3,4-DCQAME), which can be isolated from several plants of traditional Chinese medicine, has anti-RSV activity. In RSV-infected mice treated with 3,4-DCQAME, reduced RSV-induced pathological changes and substantial inhibition of viral infection in the lung tissue were observed
94.