An experimental antiviral pill has successfully blocked the spread of a measles-like virus in animals, raising hopes for a new treatment that could help contain future outbreaks.
The findings, published in Nature Microbiology, showed that the oral drug prevented the virus from spreading through both direct contact and the air when administered shortly before or after exposure. It also reduced the severity of illness and shortened the period infected animals remained contagious.
The study was conducted by researchers at the Center for Translational Antiviral Research (CTAR) at Georgia State University, who tested the experimental drug in ferrets infected with canine distemper virus, a disease that closely resembles measles in humans.
The researchers evaluated an experimental broad-spectrum antiviral known as GHP-88310, which works by blocking the viral polymerase—an enzyme the virus requires to replicate.
The team investigated whether the drug could prevent transmission when administered shortly before or after exposure. The
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