Niclosamide shows strong antiviral activity in a human airway model of SARS-CoV-2 infection and a conserved potency against the Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351) and Delta variant (B.1.617.2)

Anne Weiss; Franck Touret; Cecile Baronti; Magali Gilles; Bruno Hoen; Antoine Nougairède; Xavier de Lamballerie; Morten O A Sommer

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0260958

Niclosamide shows strong antiviral activity in a human airway model of SARS-CoV-2 infection and a conserved potency against the Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351) and Delta variant (B.1.617.2)

PLoS One. 2021 Dec 2;16(12):e0260958. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0260958. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Anne Weiss^{1

2}, Franck Touret³, Cecile Baronti³, Magali Gilles³, Bruno Hoen⁴, Antoine Nougairède³, Xavier de Lamballerie³, Morten O A Sommer^{2

5}

Affiliations

¹ UNION therapeutics Research Services, Hellerup, Denmark.
² Novo Nordisk Center for Biosustainability, Technical University Denmark, Lyngby, Denmark.
³ Unité des Virus Émergents (UVE: Aix-Marseille University -IRD 190-Inserm 1207-IHU Méditerranée, Infection), Marseille, France.
⁴ Institute Pasteur, Paris, France.
⁵ UNION Therapeutics, Hellerup, Denmark.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 variants are emerging with potential increased transmissibility highlighting the great unmet medical need for new therapies. Niclosamide is a potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 agent that has advanced in clinical development. We validate the potent antiviral efficacy of niclosamide in a SARS-CoV-2 human airway model. Furthermore, niclosamide remains its potency against the D614G, Alpha (B.1.1.7), Beta (B.1.351), and Delta (B.1.617.2) variants. Our data further support the potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 properties of niclosamide and highlights its great potential as a therapeutic agent for COVID-19.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Animals
Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use*
COVID-19 Drug Treatment*
Caco-2 Cells
Chlorocebus aethiops
Humans
Inhibitory Concentration 50
Niclosamide / therapeutic use*
Respiratory Mucosa / virology
SARS-CoV-2 / drug effects*
Vero Cells

Substances

Antiviral Agents
Niclosamide

Supplementary concepts

SARS-CoV-2 variants

Grants and funding

We are thankful for the support of Innovationsfonden Denmark under the grant number: 0208-00081 and 0153-00209 (receiver: AW, MOAS; https://innovationsfonden.dk) and The Novo Nordisk Foundation under NFF grant number: NNF20CC0035580 (receiver: MOAS; https://novonordiskfonden.dk). The funder of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report. All authors had full access to all the data in the study and had final responsibility for the decision to submit for publication.