A Pill to Prevent Dengue: Will It Work?

Dengue, a mosquito-transmitted viral infection that poses a risk to about half the global population, has no specific antiviral treatment. Researchers conducted a phase 2a, industry-supported, randomized prevention study of mosnodenvir, a non–FDA-approved drug showing potency in vitro against a broad range of dengue strains and safety in phase 1 studies.

Thirty-one healthy adults received loading doses of low-, medium-, or high-dose oral mosnodenvir or placebo once daily for 5 days, after which they were inoculated subcutaneously with weakened dengue virus (DEN-3 serotype); they then received maintenance doses for 21 days.