Mericitabine

Mericitabine is an experimental antiviral drug developed for the treatment of hepatitis C. It is a nucleoside analogue, which means it mimics the structure of nucleosides, the building blocks of DNA and RNA. Mericitabine is specifically a cytidine analogue, and it works by inhibiting the replication of the hepatitis C virus.

History

Mericitabine was developed by Roche, a Swiss multinational healthcare company. The drug entered Phase 2 clinical trials in 2008, and Phase 3 trials in 2011. However, in 2013, Roche decided to discontinue the development of Mericitabine due to the emergence of more effective treatments for hepatitis C.

Mechanism of Action

Mericitabine works by inhibiting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) of the hepatitis C virus. RdRp is an essential enzyme for the replication of the virus. By inhibiting this enzyme, Mericitabine prevents the virus from replicating and spreading in the body.

Clinical Trials

In clinical trials, Mericitabine was generally well tolerated and showed promising antiviral activity. However, it was less effective than newer treatments, such as sofosbuvir and ledipasvir, which led to the discontinuation of its development.

See Also

• Antiviral drug
• Hepatitis C
• Nucleoside analogue
• Roche