Oral drug candidate blocks transmission of measles-like disease in ferrets

A new oral antiviral drug candidate administered either before or after direct contact or airborne exposure to canine distemper virus, which causes measles-like disease in ferrets, blocks transmission of the virus and reduces clinical symptoms, according to a study published in the journal Nature Microbiology by researchers in the Center for Translational Antiviral Research (CTAR) at Georgia State University.

The study explored whether prophylactic (shortly before or after exposure) administration of the recently developed clinical candidate GHP-88310 (described in Science Advances), a broad-spectrum inhibitor of the viral polymerase, prevents virus transmission through close contact or through the air. The results demonstrate that GHP-88310 efficiently blocks both forms of viral spread. In addition, the study showed that treatment of infected animals shortened the time period in which infected animals could transmit the virus.

Silencing measles outbreaks quickly is essential to reestablish control over the virus. This study follows our recent development of the drug candidate GHP-88310. It demonstrates that the drug is suitable to augment traditional ring vaccination against measles."

Richard Plemper, senior author, a Regents' Professor and director of the CTAR

Since 2025, measles has reemerged in the United States with thousands of cases across multiple states, hundreds of hospitalizations and three confirmed deaths. Large outbreaks in Canada and Mexico with multiple deaths have challenged the measles elimination status of North America.

"We were very excited to see that GHP-88310 given by mouth completely prevented airborne transmission in our ferret model of measles," said first author Carolin Lieber, a senior postdoctoral fellow in the Plemper lab. "This finding is unprecedented for a viral polymerase inhibitor and demonstrates the extraordinary antiviral potency of this drug."

To explore relevant conditions of viral transmission, the researchers developed a system that allowed them to pair infected and uninfected animals in direct physical contact or shared airspace, each under controlled environmental parameters.

"We designed the study to recapitulate viral spread between people with direct contact, for instance in a household, and between more distant social contacts, for example in classrooms or other indoor settings that bring people into proximity without direct interaction," said Plemper. "In addition to this prophylactic benefit, GHP-88310 used therapeutically shortened the duration of disease in our model. If equally applicable to human hosts, it may shorten the severe social and economic burden of prolonged quarantine of patients and further aid outbreak management."

The investigators are now readying GHP-88310 for formal clinical testing.

Additional authors of the study include Josef Wolf, Claire Ruckel and Lauren Harrison of the Center for Translational Antiviral Research in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State.

The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).