A cat drug could be effective against the new coronavirus

A couple of molecules developed to save cats from feline infectious peritonitis appear to be effective in stopping Sars-Cov-2 replication, and may soon move to human experimentation

(image: Getty Images ) The world is full of coronavirus, even that of cats. Unfortunately, one of these pathogens has long been sadly known by veterinarians and owners: sometimes, when cats contract it, the virus changes inside their bodies and causes feline infectious peritonitis (or Fip), an almost always lethal condition.

An experimental drug, however, seems to be effective in blocking the replication of this coronavirus, and according to a team of researchers from the University of Alberta in Canada it could also interfere with the infection by Sars-Cov- 2 . Here's how.

The study, published in Nature Communications, compared the mechanisms of infection and replication of the two coronaviruses, that of Fip and that of Covid-19, noting that there are no substantial differences.

In fact, in order to replicate, both need an enzyme (a protease known as Mpro) that cuts a long peptide in half, otherwise the process does not continue.

It is at this level that the experimental drug for the Fip coronavirus (the molecule GC373 and its soluble derivative GC376) acts: it inhibits Mpro and blocks viral replication. And a 2016 study showed some success in the veterinary clinic: Sick cats who were given the drug recovered after about twenty days. GC373 and GC376, however, are not yet approved.

Given the similarities between the two coronaviruses, scientists have therefore tried to use the same drug in cell cultures infected with Sars-Cov-2, confirming its effectiveness also in this case.