Measles antiviral pill blocks transmission in ferret study
Georgia State researchers say GHP-88310 stopped airborne and close-contact spread in a ferret model, a step toward outbreak-control trials.
By Tom Brennan · Health & Medicine Correspondent
3 min read
An experimental measles antiviral pill prevented a measles-like virus from spreading by air and close contact in a ferret study, according to Georgia State University researchers. The finding matters because a drug that works around exposure could help public health teams contain outbreaks alongside vaccination.
The work, published in Nature Microbiology, tested a drug candidate called GHP-88310 in ferrets infected with canine distemper virus. Georgia State’s Center for Translational Antiviral Research said that infection produces an illness in ferrets that closely resembles measles.
What is the measles antiviral pill GHP-88310?
GHP-88310 is an oral antiviral drug candidate designed to block viral polymerase, an enzyme viruses need to copy themselves, according to the Georgia State team. A related paper in Science Advances described the drug as a developmental candidate with oral activity in measles and respiratory paramyxovirus models.
In the new study, researchers gave the drug shortly before or shortly after exposure to test whether it could work as a preventive treatment. Georgia State said GHP-88310 blocked spread when uninfected ferrets were placed in direct contact with infected animals and when animals shared air without touching.
The team also tested the drug after infection had already begun. In those animals, Georgia State said treatment shortened illness and reduced the time infected ferrets remained capable of passing on the virus.
How did researchers test measles-like spread?
The researchers built a controlled setup meant to resemble two common ways respiratory viruses move between people. One part of the experiment modeled close contact, such as exposure inside a household; another separated animals physically while allowing them to breathe shared air, a setup meant to reflect indoor spaces such as classrooms.
Richard Plemper, senior author of the study, Regents’ Professor and director of the Center for Translational Antiviral Research, said the results suggest GHP-88310 could add to ring vaccination, the strategy of vaccinating contacts around a known case to stop further spread. Georgia State described the drug as a possible complement to vaccination, rather than a replacement for it.
Carolin Lieber, the study’s first author and a senior postdoctoral fellow in Plemper’s lab, said the complete prevention of airborne transmission in the ferret model was an unusual result for a viral polymerase inhibitor. The university said researchers are now preparing GHP-88310 for formal clinical trials.
Why are researchers focusing on measles outbreaks now?
Georgia State said measles has returned in the United States since 2025, with thousands of infections across several states, hundreds of hospitalizations and three confirmed deaths. The university also said Canada and Mexico have had major outbreaks with multiple deaths, prompting concern over whether North America can maintain measles elimination status.
Measles elimination means ongoing local spread has been stopped in a region, though cases can still be imported from elsewhere. A fast-acting antiviral could be useful during the window after exposure, especially for people who have not yet been protected by vaccination or for outbreak settings where quarantine strains families, schools and workplaces.
The study was conducted by Lieber, Josef Wolf, Claire Ruckel, Lauren Harrison and Plemper at Georgia State’s Institute for Biomedical Sciences. Georgia State said the work was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health.
This story draws on original reporting from ScienceDaily.