Investigation of a clinical trial drug VV261 as a potent antiviral candidate against Chikungunya virus

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a single-strand positive-sense RNA virus belonging to the family Togaviridae. Since 2004, CHIKV outbreaks have become more frequent and widespread, affecting millions of people and establishing Chikungunya disease as a significant global public health issue. 1 In Asia, the Asian lineage (CHIKV-Asian) and the East-Central-South-African lineage (CHIKV-ECSA) have become the most prevalent. In July 2025, a large-scale outbreak occurred in Guangdong Province, China, resulting in more than 9000 confirmed cases. 2 To date, no drug has been approved for clinical therapy, highlighting the urgent need to develop effective treatments against CHIKV.