The researchers a step closer to finding a treatment for dengue fever -
There have been several press reports that the vaccine against the dengue World will be available next year. However, recent clinical trials show that the vaccine provides only protection of the order of 50 percent for DENV-2 and DENV-1, which are commonly in Singapore.
DENV-1 accounts for 0 percent of infections at the local level as a large population lacks immunity against that serotype in particular dengue virus. Until a vaccine that can offer higher protection becomes available, it is crucial to find a suitable treatment for dengue fever, as there is currently no provision in the world.
The good news is that the team from the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School (Duke-NUS), the researchers are now a step closer to finding a cure for the dengue fever. In the study of CELADEN completed last year, the team found that celgosivir, a drug derived from a compound found naturally in the seeds of the tree of Moreton Bay Chestnut, is generally safe and well tolerated by patients affected by the dengue virus.
participants recruited for the study were admitted to SGH for five days, during which they received either placebo or celgosivir. They continued to be followed on days 7, 10 and 15 in outpatient clinics where clinical histories and blood samples were taken. A physical examination was also made during these sessions.
"We found that the drug system in our study CELADEN was well tolerated. And because the dengue virus is cleared from the blood within three to five days and the fever disappears in the same period, a diet with more frequent dosing will be tested in the next phase of our testing to see its therapeutic effect, "said Dr. Jenny Low, Senior Consultant, Department of infectious diseases, GHS, and principal investigator of the study.
"the earlier work at Duke-NUS has shown that the dosage is an important factor in mediating antiviral effects of celgosivir" said Professor Subhash Vasudevan, Emerging Infectious disease Program at Duke-NUS .
The study results were published in Lancet Infectious Diseases , a scientific medical journal peer world leader on 28 May 2014.
passage the next phase of the study, SingHealth and Duke-NUS signed an exclusive licensing agreement with 60 Degrees Pharmaceuticals to evaluate the efficacy and safety of alternative dosing regimen and drug treatments combined in dengue patients. The NUS Industry Liaison Office, which is part of NUS Enterprise, took the lead in coordinating and facilitating this multi-stakeholder collaboration and negotiation of the license.
"Other viral diseases such as hepatitis C and HIV combination regimens required to demonstrate clinical benefit. This may also be the case for dengue. To this end, 60P has also entered into a collaboration agreement with NUS earlier in March 2014 to investigate the utility of combinations of drugs in animal models. This agreement is based on previous collaborations between the parties to assess antiviral effects other approved drugs, "said Mr. Geoff Dow, CEO, 60P.
dengue is an acute febrile disease transmitted by mosquitoes that affects half of the world population. There are 96 million symptomatic infections, 500.0000 hospitalizations and 25,000 deaths annually due to the disease. the economic burden is $ 12 billion. in Singapore, as elsewhere, the incidence of the disease has continued to increase despite aggressive control measures.
EmoticonEmoticon