Authors Call for Novel, Integrated Approaches in RSV Therapeutic Research

Current options for the treatment of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are limited, explained authors in a review article published in the journal Vaccines. 

“To date, no effective or approved therapeutics and vaccines are available to cure this virus disease,” wrote corresponding author Khalid Muhammad, of the UAE University Department of Biology in the United Arab Emirates, and coauthors. “Only short-time clinical benefits are achieved with the use of the available drugs and antivirals or with the hormonal treatment option (nebulized adrenalin), with little or no effect from chemotherapy based on hypertonic saline, a bronchodilator, glucocorticoid, etc.”

Nevertheless, preclinical and early outcomes of studies investigating vaccine and pharmaceutical approaches for the management of RSV provide hope for an eventual effective therapeutic option, the authors wrote. Live-attenuated, recombinant vector-based, peptide-based, and subunit vaccine strategies have been evaluated recently, although many remain in early phases. Traditional strategies for vaccines and antiviral agents are also in redevelopment and upgrade phases.

The authors recommended efforts that employ novel approaches, such as nanotechnology, immunomodulators, molecular inhibitors, gene silencers, and short RNA interference. They further advised integrated, well-knit research efforts that include bioinformaticians and pharmacologists for a complete understanding of RSV pathogenesis and the clinical practice of novel vaccines, prophylactics, and antiviral therapeutics.

“The role of health care authorities such as the US Food and Drug Administration, World Health Organization, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will also remain important for figuring out ways for improvising clinical experiments through the provision of funding,” they added, “as well as appropriate recommendations for the community-level application of approved and licensed drugs.”

Reference:
Malik S, Ahmad T, Muhammad K, Waheed Y. Respiratory syncytial virus infection: treatments and clinical management. Vaccines. 2023;11(2):491. doi:10.3390/vaccines11020491