SARS-CoV-2 clearance in the brain and lungs of K18-hACE2 mice after intranasal liposomal remdesivir

Introduction: A huge challenge after the emergence of COVID-19 has been the discovery of effective antiviral drugs. Although remdesivir (RDV) emerged as one of the most promising drugs, its pharmaceutical formulation Veklury® is limited by moderate efficacy, high toxicity and need for parenteral administration [1]. Since the nasal cavity and lungs represent primary sites of infection, intranasal (IN) instillation or inhalation appears promising for early treatment of COVID-19 [2]. In this context, nanoformulations of RDV have been developed [3], however, their in vivo efficacy has not yet been reported.