Orally administered niclosamide-based organic/inorganic hybrid suppresses SARS-CoV-2 infection

The COVID-19 pandemic is a serious global health threat mainly due to the surging cases along with new variants of COVID-19. Though global vaccinations have indeed some effects on the virus spread, its longevity is still unknown. Therefore an orally administrable anti-viral agent against SARS-CoV-2 would be of substantial benefit in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Herein, we repurposed niclosamide (NIC), an FDA approved anthelmintic drug in to MgO, which was further coated with hydroxyl propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) to get the de-sired product called NIC-MgO-HPMC, which has improved anti-SARS-CoV-2 replication in the Syrian hamster model. The inhibitory effect of NIC-MgO-HPMC on SARS-CoV-2 replication leads to the prevention of inflammation as well as lung injury. These data strongly support that repurposed NIC-MgO-HPMC could be highly beneficial for controlling the ongoing pandemic thereby achieving an endemic phase.