Development of Medical Countermeasures to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus
Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus, MERS-CoV, medical countermeasures, animal models, non-human primates, NHPs
Preclinical development of and research on potential Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) medical countermeasures remain preliminary; advancements are needed before most countermeasures are ready to be tested in human clinical trials. Research priorities include standardization of animal models and virus stocks for studying disease pathogenesis and efficacy of medical countermeasures; development of MERS-CoV diagnostics; improved access to nonhuman primates to support preclinical research; studies to better understand and control MERS-CoV disease, including vaccination studies in camels; and development of a standardized clinical trial protocol. Partnering with clinical trial networks in affected countries to evaluate safety and efficacy of investigational therapeutics will strengthen efforts to identify successful medical countermeasures.
Timothy M. Uyeki, Karl J. Erlandson, George Korch, Michael O’Hara, Michael Wathen, Jean Hu-Primmer, Sally Hojvat, Erik J. Stemmy, Armen Donabedian
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Infectious and parasitic diseases, Medicine