Hepatitis C drugs may have value against COVID-19

Brian Kraemer, a UW Medicine researcher in geriatrics, teamed up with colleagues to examine 6,800 known drugs with a safe use in humans that could possibly break the life cycle of the coronavirus by blocking an important protein called the main protease. They singled out antviral drugs used to treat hepatitis C: boceprevir and narlaprevir. These drugs are protease inhibitors developed by Merck. Their study was posted on bioRxiv ahead of peer review.

Before COVID-19, Kraemer focused his research efforts on dementia. He and his team have joined the worldwide effort to find solutions to the pandemic.