Identification of five antiviral compounds from the Pandemic Response Box targeting SARS-CoV-2

Holwerda, Melle; V’kovski, Philip; Wider, Manon; Thiel, Volker; Dijkman, Ronald

With currently over 4 million confirmed cases worldwide, including more than 300’000 deaths, the current Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has a major impact on the economy and health care system. Currently, a limited amount of prophylactic or therapeutic intervention options are available against SARS-CoV-2. In this study, we screened 400 compounds from the antimicrobial ‘Pandemic Response Box’ library for inhibiting properties against SARS-CoV-2. We identified sixteen compounds that potently inhibited SARS-CoV-2 replication, of which five compounds displayed equal or even higher antiviral activity compared to Remdesivir. These results show that five compounds should be further investigated for their mode of action, safety and efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. Highlights 400 compounds from the pandemic response box were tested for antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. 5 compounds had an equal or higher antiviral efficacy towards SARS-CoV-2, compared to the nucleoside analogue Remdesivir.