Activity of Oral ALS-008176 in a Respiratory Syncytial Virus Challenge Study

There are limited treatment options for infection with the respiratory syncytial virus. In this human challenge model, a new oral nucleoside analogue, ALS-008176, showed modest antiviral activity. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections are a cause of substantial morbidity and mortality in various patient populations worldwide, including children. Globally, RSV infections were estimated to cause 3.4 million hospitalizations and 66,000 to 199,000 deaths in 2005 in children younger than 5 years of age, primarily in the developing world. 1 In U.S. infants, RSV infection causes substantial outpatient disease 2 and is a common cause of hospitalization. 3 The risk of death from respiratory causes is nine times as high among U.S. infants with RSV infection as the risk among infants with influenza. 4 Immunocompromised patients and elderly patients, especially those with coexisting . . .