May 20 (Reuters) - Drug development efforts targeting the rare hantavirus infection have gained renewed attention following a deadly outbreak aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius last month.
There are currently no approved vaccines or targeted antiviral treatments, and care is largely supportive. Here are some companies and institutions which have hantavirus treatments or vaccines under development:
VACCINES
Organization
What It Is
Strains Targeted
Stage
U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID)
mRNA vaccine designed to remain stable at room temperature
Hantaan
Pre-clinical
UK Health Security Agency
Modified Vaccinia Ankara, a weakened virus platform
Seoul + Hantaan (Old World strains causing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome)
Early-stage trial ongoing
Korea University / Moderna MRNA.O
mRNA vaccine
Old World strains causing hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome
Pre-clinical
University of Saskatchewan, Canada
Three approaches: mRNA, Newcastle Disease virus-vectored vaccine, protein subunit vaccine
Sin Nombre, Andes (New World strains causing hantavirus pulmonary syndrome)
Pre-clinical
PROVIDENT Consortium
Vaccine and antibody development platform targeting multiple viral infections, including hantavirus
Multiple strains, including Andes
Pre-clinical
TREATMENTS
Organization
What it is
Strains targeted
Stage
Traws Pharma TRAW.O
Small-molecule antiviral
Hantaan virus
Pre-clinical
USAMRIID and SAB Biotherapeutics
Antibody medicine
Hantaan, Puumala, Andes, Sin Nombre
Pre-clinical
Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Prometheus consortium / Mapp Biopharmaceutical
Monoclonal antibody treatment isolated from hantavirus survivors
Multiple strains
Pre-clinical, development but has stalled due to lack of funding
Ichor Biologics
Antibody-based treatments
Multiple strains
Pre-clinical (last updated its hantavirus program in 2019 and did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on its progress)
UCLA
Antiviral drug favipiravir
Andes and broad strains
Pre-clinical
ORF Biologics
Protein-based approach to develop hantavirus diagnostics and treatments
Multiple strains
Pre-clinical
Note: "Old World" strains are hantaviruses found in Europe and Asia that cause a kidney disease known as hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome, while "New World" strains in the Americas cause hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, a severe lung disease
Sources: National Institutes of Health, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization, company comments and organization press releases
(Reporting by Padmanabhan Ananthan and Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath)
((Padmanabhan.Ananthan@thomsonreuters.com;))
