3 existing drugs fight coronavirus with ‘almost 100%’ success in Jerusalem lab - The Times of Israel

Jul 20, 2021

Arkin said his optimism that the drugs will prove effective against future variants is based on what they target.

When confronting SARS‑CoV‑2, the drugs in question — darapladib, which currently treats atherosclerosis; the cancer drug Flumatinib; and an HIV medicine — don’t target the spike protein.

As such, drugs that target them are likely to remain effective in spite of mutations, Arkin said.

He commented: “The envelope protein in the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus is about 95% identical to that of the first SARS outbreak of 2003, whereas the spike protein is less than 80% identical.

Until now, the envelope protein was not seen as a promising target for drugs.

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