Failure of Phenosulfazole (Darvisul) in Treating Experimental Viral Infections

Abstract

Conclusion

Phenosulfazole (Darvisul) showed no beneficial effect in the treatment of mice infected with the Columbia SK virus and other neurotropic viruses, including a rodent adapted strain of poliomyelitis (MEF-1 strain). The lack of therapeutic effectiveness of the drug was also observed in monkeys infected intranasally with the Brunhilde strain of poliomyelitis virus. In other viral and rickettsia1 infections of mice and of developing chick embryos treatment with pheno-sulfazole was of no therapeutic value, with the possible exception of psittacosis in which a slight inhibition of growth in the developing chick embryos was observed. However, even in the latter case the effectiveness of phenosulfazole therapy was of much lower magnitude than that observed with other sulfonamides,^4-6 or antibiotics.⁷