Drug Testing Poultry for H5N1 Virus

The Department of Animal Health in Vietnam is testing an animal version of Vira 38, a broad-spectrum antiviral, on poultry flocks as part of a multinational collaboration to prevent the spread of avian influenza.

Vira 38 has been shown to contain compounds that inhibit a variety of pathogens, including the avian influenza virus H5N1. The collaboration is designed to stem new concerns that migratory birds will spread the lethal H5N1 virus to poultry and to humans, triggering a worldwide influenza pandemic. Other members of the collaboration include The Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Prince of Wales Hospital (Hong Kong), and Mahidol University (Thailand).

"The massive infection and death of migratory birds at China's Qinghai Lake and the emergence of new H5N1 strains is cause for concern,” commented Dr. Charles Hensley, who is the chairman and CEO of PRB Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Irvine, CA, USA), which developed Vira 38. "The H5N1 virus is gaining momentum and the migratory bird, poultry, human axis is driving the evolution of this virus towards the development of a pandemic strain. A comprehensive approach targeting each component of this axis is desperately needed.”

According to Dr. Hensley, viral resistance is most likely to occur when a drug targets a single point of the viral life cycle. The H5N1 virus is already resistant to amantadine, and the World Health Organization (Geneva, Switzerland) has reported resistance to Tamiflu (oseltamivir) in northern Vietnam.

"Our approach is to attack the virus at multiple points of its life cycle,” added Dr. Hensley. "This results in greater efficacy and reduces the likelihood of the virus developing resistance.”

Vira 38 is being distributed to the Hong Kong market by Lee's Pharmaceutical Holdings Ltd. (Hong Kong).





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Lee's Pharmaceutical