bemnifosbuvir

Bemnifosbuvir is an orally bioavailable direct-acting antiviral and purine nucleotide prodrug developed by Atea Pharmaceuticals and licensed to Roche for clinical development. It was originally designed for the treatment of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection but has also been investigated for other RNA viruses, including SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19). After oral administration, bemnifosbuvir is metabolized into its active form, which inhibits viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRP), resulting in termination of viral RNA transcription and inhibition of viral replication. Its dual mechanism targets both the RdRP active site for chain termination and the NiRAN domain involved in protein-primed RNA synthesis, reducing the likelihood of resistance mutations. Bemnifosbuvir has demonstrated potent pan-genotypic activity against HCV—including sofosbuvir-resistant strains—and a favorable safety profile with low risk of drug-drug interactions. In combination with ruzasvir, it has shown high sustained virologic response rates in phase II studies for HCV[1][2][3][4][5][8].

Other names

bemnifosbuvir