U.S. Biotechs Launch Measles Drug Tests as 2025 Outbreaks Hit Worst Levels Since 1991
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 11
U.S. Biotechs Launch Measles Drug Tests as 2025 Outbreaks Hit Worst Levels Since 1991
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 11
Summary
Two U.S. biotech companies this year said they will begin testing antibody treatments for measles, while another has moved an antiviral candidate into animal studies.
2025 outbreaks in unvaccinated U.S. communities made it the country's worst measles year since 1991, turning a once-neglected virus into a new drug-development target.
Two academic groups, including a lab linked to researcher Dawid Zyla, have also published early promising results on experimental measles drugs.
No measles treatment is currently approved, and any successful candidate would likely take years to reach patients, but companies now see a market that barely existed a few years ago.
With a cheap vaccine available, why is the U.S. now racing to develop an expensive measles cure?
As measles threatens infants, how close are scientists to a new shield for the most vulnerable?
How is America's measles resurgence jeopardizing the global health progress it once led?
Measles Resurgence in the U.S.: Outbreaks Top 2,000 Cases as Vaccine Hesitancy Fuels Crisis and Biotech Races for New Treatments
Overview
The report highlights how a global resurgence of measles, driven by rising cases in the U.S., Europe, and other regions, is closely linked to growing vaccine hesitancy over recent years. With no specific antiviral drugs available, current treatment is limited to symptom management, leaving the body to fight off infection naturally. This urgent gap has prompted the biotechnology sector to develop new therapeutics, such as Invivyd’s VMS063, which is advancing toward clinical trials. These efforts mark a pivotal shift from solely relying on vaccination and symptom care to actively pursuing targeted treatments for measles.