A screen for novel hepatitis C virus RdRp inhibitor identifies a broad-spectrum antiviral compound.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a global pathogen and infects more than 185 million individuals worldwide. Although recent development of direct acting antivirals (DAA) has shown promise in HCV therapy, there is an urgent need for the development of more affordable treatment options. We initiated this study to identify novel inhibitors of HCV through screening of compounds from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) diversity dataset. Using cell-based assays, we identified NSC-320218 as a potent inhibitor against HCV with an EC