Adamas Pharmaceuticals’ vitro study of its triple combination antiviral drug (TCAD) therapy showed greater potency against seasonal and novel H1N1 influenza viruses than currently recommended single or double therapy and that the triple combination is active against drug-resistant flu strains.
According to Adamas, the study results showed that the triple combination was highly synergistic in vitro, and the synergy of TCAD therapy was significantly greater than the synergy of double combinations against both susceptible and resistant viruses.
The study revealed that oseltamivir and amantadine in the triple combination contributed to antiviral activity against oseltamivir-resistant and amantadine-resistant viruses, respectively, at concentrations where they had no activity as single agents, and at concentrations that are clinically relevant.
Mark Prichard, study investigator, professor in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, said: “These data suggest that the triple combination of amantadine, ribavirin, and oseltamivir was highly synergistic in its ability to inhibit influenza virus replication, including the current circulating novel H1N1 virus.
“The triple combination approach, because it strikes multiple targets within the viruses, might also help to prevent the development of new resistance in susceptible flu strains. This triple combination approach may represent a highly active antiviral therapy for serious influenza infections, with the potential to address the current limitations of antiviral potency and drug resistance.”
Gregory Went, CEO and Chairman of Adamas, said: “Drug resistant seasonal influenza and emerging cases of multi-drug resistant novel influenza A/H1N1 virus are creating an immediate need for alternative strategies to currently available antiviral therapies.”