On Mar. 13, 2020, Enanta Pharmaceuticals announced it had initiated a program to discover direct-acting antiviral drug candidates for the treatment of patients infected with the novel coronavirus COVID-19, also known as SARS-CoV-2.

The company planned to leverage its virology expertise with protease inhibitors – paritaprevir and glecaprevir – for use against hepatitis C virus, and its development of candidates for respiratory syncytial virus and human metapneumovirus, to explore approaches against this pandemic health threat.

Enanta is taking a two-pronged approach to its COVID-19 discovery efforts. It is testing compounds from its antiviral compound library for potential activity against COVID-19. It is also initiating a drug discovery program using its expertise in direct-acting antiviral mechanisms to discover new candidates to treat COVID-19.

Enanta’s decision to initiate a program for COVID-19 comes only a few months after the company initiated “RSVP,” a Phase 2b study in adult outpatients with community-acquired RSV. The company also plans to initiate a Phase 2 dose ranging study in pediatric RSV patients and a Phase 2 study in adult transplant patients with RSV. Similar to the emerging patient profile of COVID-19, older adults and people with weakened immune systems are at higher risk for RSV, which is an illness that also affects children and for which there are no safe and effective treatments.

Enanta is using its robust, chemistry-driven approach and drug discovery capabilities to become a leader in the discovery and development of small molecule drugs for the treatment of viral infections and liver diseases. Enanta’s research and development efforts have produced clinical candidates for the following disease targets: respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)/primary biliary cholangitis (PBC), hepatitis B virus (HBV), human metapneumovirus (hMPV) and emerging coronaviruses.