Scientists from SRI International and Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Identify Potential New Ebola Virus Therapy

In the search for drugs that are effective against Ebola virus, scientists from SRI International and Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc., led a study that used machine learning methods to identify tilorone dihydrochloride as a potential new inhibitor of viral infection. The low molecular weight immunomodulatory drug has shown promising efficacy with 100 percent survival in an Ebola virus disease model. The authors of the study, published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy describe the pharmacokinetic properties and anti-Ebola activities of tilorone dihydrochloride, which can be given orally and is already used as an antiviral against influenza, acute respiratory viral infection, viral hepatitis, viral encephalitis, myelitis, and other diseases in Russia.