2. Academic Validation
  3. Drug Repurposing: In Vitro Evaluation of Simeprevir as a Novel Antiviral Drug Against Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus

Drug Repurposing: In Vitro Evaluation of Simeprevir as a Novel Antiviral Drug Against Severe Fever With Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus

  • J Med Virol. 2025 Oct;97(10):e70655. doi: 10.1002/jmv.70655.
Qian Chen 1 2,  Jiaxuan Li 3,  Xingxing Wang 2,  Chen Huang 2,  Hao Yan 2,  Jianhua Li 2,  Yanjun Zhang 1 2,  Keda Chen 3
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 School of Public Health, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
  • 2 Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Public Health Detection and Pathogenesis Research, Department of Microbiology, Zhejiang Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Hangzhou, China.
  • 3 Key Laboratory of Artificial Organs and Computational Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Shulan International Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
PMID: 41117261 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.70655
Abstract

Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTSV), a tick-borne virus with high mortality, currently lacks approved Antiviral therapies. In this study, we evaluated the in vitro activity of 19 FDA-approved drugs against a clinical isolate of SFTSV using cell-based assays, and immunofluorescence analysis. Simeprevir, Novobiocin, and Levofloxacin hydrochloride demonstrated significant Antiviral activity (EC50: 0.009774, 25.12, and 46.30 μM, respectively) with minimal cytotoxicity. Immunofluorescence analysis revealed a dose-dependent reduction in SFTSV nucleoprotein expression, correlating with decreased viral replication. The remaining 16 drugs exhibited low Antiviral efficacy or high cytotoxicity. Although these three small-molecule drugs show promise for SFTSV treatment, further in vivo studies are necessary to confirm their safety and optimize their structures. Our findings highlight the potential of drug repurposing as a strategy for developing effective therapies against emerging viral infections.

Keywords

Simeprevir; antiviral drug; in vitro; levofloxacin hydrochloride; novobiocin; severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus.

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