A drug already in trials may finally stop hepatitis E
Why it matters: Bemnifosbuvir could provide the first approved treatment for hepatitis E, which kills tens of thousands annually.
- Bemnifosbuvir, a drug currently undergoing trials for hepatitis C, has been identified as a potential treatment for hepatitis E.
- The drug functions by blocking the hepatitis E virus from replicating, specifically by disrupting its genetic machinery.
- Hepatitis E currently lacks an approved treatment and causes tens of thousands of deaths each year globally.
Scientists have identified bemnifosbuvir, a drug already in trials for hepatitis C, as a promising new treatment for hepatitis E. This drug works by disrupting the virus's genetic machinery, preventing it from replicating, which could finally provide an approved treatment for a virus responsible for tens of thousands of deaths annually.
