In this study, Yin and his colleagues found that clofazimine possesses broad antiviral activities against coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2. They demonstrated that clofazimine inhibits cell fusion mediated by the viral spike glycoprotein, as well as the activity of the viral helicase. Prophylactic or therapeutic administration of clofazimine in a hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis led to reduced viral loads in the lung and viral shedding in faeces and alleviated the inflammation associated with the viral infection. Combinations of clofazimine and remdesivir exhibited antiviral synergy in vitro and in vivo and restricted viral shedding from the upper respiratory tract. The study provided evidence that clofazimine may have a role in controlling the current pandemic of COVID-19 and, possibly more importantly, in dealing with coronavirus diseases that may emerge in the future.

The mechanism by which clofazimine inhibits coronavirus infection

Clofazimine broadly inhibits coronavirus infection

Yin Xin