bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.03.09.434219; this version posted March 9, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder. All rights reserved. No reuse allowed without permission. The FDA-approved drug cobicistat synergizes with remdesivir to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 replication Iart Luca Shytaj1,2* , Mohamed Fares3, Bojana Lucic1,4, Lara Gallucci1, Mahmoud M. Tolba5, Liv Zimmermann6,7, Ahmed Taha Ayoub8, Mirko Cortese9, Christopher J. Neufeldt9, Vibor Laketa4,6, Petr Chlanda6,7, Oliver T. Fackler1,4, Steeve Boulant6, Ralf Bartenschlager4,9, Megan Stanifer9, Andrea Savarino10§, Marina Lusic1,4§. 1 Department of Infectious Diseases, Integrative Virology, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany. 2 Federal University of São Paulo, Infectious Diseases Department, São Paulo, Brazil. 3 Department of Hydrobiology, Veterinary Research Division, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt.. 4 German Center for Infection Research (DZIF), Heidelberg, Germany. 5 Pharmaceutical Division, Ministry of Health and Population, Faiyum, Egypt 6 Department of Infectious Diseases, Virology, CIID, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany 7 Schaller Research Groups, Center of Infectious Diseases, Virology, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany 8 Biomolecular Simulation Center, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Heliopolis University, Cairo, Egypt 9 Department of Infectious Diseases, Molecular Virology, CIID, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany 10 Department of Infectious and Immune-Mediated Diseases, Italian Institute of Health, Rome, Italy * Correspondence:
[email protected] §equal contribution Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, spike protein, direct-acting antivirals, cobicistat, remdesivir, drug repurposing. Abstract Combinations of direct-acting antivirals are needed to minimize drug-resistance mutations and stably suppress replication of RNA viruses.