The combinatorial activities of #oseltamivir and #molnupiravir against #influenza virus infections in vitro and in vivo
Highlights • Mol shows greater antiviral effects against IAV and IBV in cell cultures. • Mol and Ose together showed a synergistic effect against IAV. • In mice, Mol alone or with Ose reduced lung injury and viral load. Abstract Oseltamivir, a neuraminidase inhibitor, is widely used in the clinic for treating influenza virus infections . However, suboptimal efficacy and risk of drug resistance development remain major challenges. Molnupiravir , a ribonucleoside analog, was originally developed to treat influenza, but was repurposed and first approved for treating COVID-19 in 2021. Considering their complementary mode-of-actions, this study aimed to investigate the combinatorial activities of oseltamivir and molnupiravir against influenza virus infections . In cell culture models, we found that β-d-N4-hydroxycytidine (NHC), the active form of molnupiravir, exerted more potent antiviral activities against influenza A and B viruses , when compared to oseltamivir treatment...