AR-12 has been studied extensively in Dent's laboratory as both an anti-cancer and anti-viral drug, with prior peer-reviewed publications from Dent and others showing it to be effective against viruses including Zika, mumps, measles, rubella, chikungunya, RSV, CMV, drug resistant HIV and influenza. Recently, collaboration with Jonathan O. Rayner, Ph.D., at the University of South Alabama and Laurence Booth, Ph.D., from Dent's lab, has demonstrated that AR-12 is highly effective against SARS-CoV-2.
"AR-12 works in a unique way. Unlike any other anti-viral drug, it inhibits cellular chaperones, which are proteins that are required to maintain the right 3-D shape of viral proteins. ...snip...
"AR-12 is an oral therapy that has been well tolerated in a prior clinical trial, so we know that it is safe and tolerable," says Poklepovic. "Most COVID-19 drugs are given intravenously, so this would be a unique therapeutic option and potentially suitable for outpatient therapy, similar to the way one would take an antibiotic."
