Repurposed antiviral medicines for potential pandemic viruses: A horizon scan
Sola Akinbolade, Rhiannon Potter, Alex Inskip, Jane Nesworthy, Kirsti Brock, Gill Norman
doi:10.1101/2025.09.09.25335403
Background Viruses such as Ebola, Marburg, influenza, mpox, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 pose a significant risk for future pandemics. Developing novel antiviral medicines can be time-consuming and resource intensive. Repurposing existing medicines with antiviral activity offers a faster, cost-effective strategy to expand treatment options during public health emergencies. This scan aimed to identify and synthesise recent evidence on repurposed antiviral medicines under investigation for these viruses.
Method A horizon scanning approach was employed, starting with a targeted search in Embase, followed by a systematic search of ClinicalTrials.gov to capture the developmental stages of the technologies. Eligible technologies included UK-or EU-licensed medicines repurposed as antiviral therapies for the viruses of interest. Vaccines, unlicensed medicines, and already approved treatments for the targeted viruses were excluded.
Results A total of 196 repurposed technologies targeting the viruses were identified from published literature, and the expanded search on the clinical trials registry yielded 58 technologies in active clinical development. Interventional clinical trial activity was limited to influenza and COVID-19, with 29 technologies for COVID-19 and two for influenza advancing to phase III evaluation. For other viruses, proposed antiviral candidates were identified in the literature but had not progressed into clinical development. Commonly investigated pharmacological classes included direct-acting antivirals, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, immunomodulators, and anti-inflammatory agents.
Conclusion Repurposing antiviral medicines represents a pragmatic strategy for rapid therapeutic deployment against emerging viral threats. Collaboration among researchers, policymakers, research funders, and regulatory bodies will be essential to improve pandemic preparedness and support repurposing efforts in emergency situations.
Author contributions SA drafted the manuscript. AI conducted the literature and clinical trial searches. SA, RP, JN, and KB carried out data screening and extraction. SA and RP analysed the data. GN reviewed and provided feedback on the final draft of the manuscript. All authors provided critical feedback and helped refine the manuscript.
Conflict of interest statement The authors declare no conflict of interest.
References
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doi:10.1515/reveh-2023-0001DOI record:
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"abstract": "<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title>\n <jats:sec>\n <jats:title>Background</jats:title>\n <jats:p>Viruses such as Ebola, Marburg, influenza, mpox, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 pose a significant risk for future pandemics. Developing novel antiviral medicines can be time-consuming and resource intensive. Repurposing existing medicines with antiviral activity offers a faster, cost-effective strategy to expand treatment options during public health emergencies. This scan aimed to identify and synthesise recent evidence on repurposed antiviral medicines under investigation for these viruses.</jats:p>\n </jats:sec>\n <jats:sec>\n <jats:title>Method</jats:title>\n <jats:p>A horizon scanning approach was employed, starting with a targeted search in Embase, followed by a systematic search of ClinicalTrials.gov to capture the developmental stages of the technologies. Eligible technologies included UK- or EU-licensed medicines repurposed as antiviral therapies for the viruses of interest. Vaccines, unlicensed medicines, and already approved treatments for the targeted viruses were excluded.</jats:p>\n </jats:sec>\n <jats:sec>\n <jats:title>Results</jats:title>\n <jats:p>A total of 196 repurposed technologies targeting the viruses were identified from published literature, and the expanded search on the clinical trials registry yielded 58 technologies in active clinical development. Interventional clinical trial activity was limited to influenza and COVID-19, with 29 technologies for COVID-19 and two for influenza advancing to phase III evaluation. For other viruses, proposed antiviral candidates were identified in the literature but had not progressed into clinical development. Commonly investigated pharmacological classes included direct-acting antivirals, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, immunomodulators, and anti-inflammatory agents.</jats:p>\n </jats:sec>\n <jats:sec>\n <jats:title>Conclusion</jats:title>\n <jats:p>Repurposing antiviral medicines represents a pragmatic strategy for rapid therapeutic deployment against emerging viral threats. Collaboration among researchers, policymakers, research funders, and regulatory bodies will be essential to improve pandemic preparedness and support repurposing efforts in emergency situations.</jats:p>\n </jats:sec>",
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