Evaluation of the efficacy and safety of a statin/caffeine combination against H5N1, H3N2 and H1N1 virus infection in BALB/c mice

The development of novel antiviral drugs is necessary for the prevention and treatment of a potential avian influenza pandemic. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a novel statin/caffeine combination against H5N1, H3N2 and H1N1 virus infection in a murine model. In H5N1-, H3N2- and H1N1-infected BALB/c mice. 50 mu g statin/200 mu g caffeine effectively ameliorated lung damage and inhibited viral replication and was at least as effective as oseltamivir and ribavirin. The statin/caffeine combination also appeared to be more effective when administered preventatively rather than as treatment. These findings provide justification for further research into this novel antiviral formulation. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.