WO2016089904A1 - Trans-clomiphene and its analogues as agents for treating or preventing filovirus diseases - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to the administration of compositions comprising trans-clomiphene or an analogue or salt thereof, for preventing and/or treating a filovirus disease in a subject.

Description

TRANS-CLOMIPHENE AND ITS ANALOGUES AS AGENTS FOR TREATING OR PREVENTING FILOVIRUS DISEASES

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.

62/086,437, filed December 2, 2014, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to compositions and methods for the treatment and prevention of diseases caused by filoviruses. Specifically, the present invention relates to the use of the selective estrogen receptor modulator trans-clomiphene or an analogue or salt thereof to treat or prevent a disease caused by a filovirus such as Ebola hemorrhagic fever in a human having, or at risk for developing, such a disease.

BACKGROUND

[0002] The Filoviridae family includes several single-strand negative sense enveloped RNA viruses that form filamentous infectious viral particles. Members of this family include the Ebola and Marburg viruses, both of which cause severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever in humans and other mammals, with fatality rates ranging from 50% to as high as 90%.

[0003] Bats are the suspected natural reservoir of Ebola viruses and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and antibody evidence has confirmed that arboreal fruit bats are carriers of the Zaire Ebola virus strain. Filoviruses are transmitted from animals to humans through body fluids. Filovirus outbreaks have occurred sporadically, with the Zaire and Sudan ebolavirus strains associated with multiple large outbreaks.

[0004] The most recent Ebola outbreak, caused by the Zaire strain ebolavirus, is by orders of magnitude the largest and most complex since Ebola virus was first discovered in 1976, with more cases and deaths than all other outbreaks combined. Unlike previous outbreaks, the virus has spread between countries and cases have been reported to originate in the U.S. and Spain. As of October 14, 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported a total of 9,216 suspected cases and 4,555 deaths, although the WHO believes that these numbers substantially underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak and estimates that there could be as many as 10,000 new Ebola cases per week by December, 2014.

[0005] No antiviral medication has been shown to be effective for treating diseases caused by filoviruses and no vaccine has yet been shown to be effective. Importantly, the Zaire ebola strain causing the current epidemic has recently been shown to be rapidly mutating, which may hinder efforts to develop a vaccine. Given the magnitude of the health threat posed by filoviruses, there is an immediate and dire need for new therapies to treat the diseases caused by these viruses.

SUMMARY

[0006] In several embodiments, the present invention provides compositions and methods for treating and/or preventing a disease caused by a filovirus. In particular, the present invention provides a monotherapy in which trans-clomiphene or an analogue or salt thereof is administered prophylactically or therapeutically to a mammal at risk for contracting a filovirus infection or having a filovirus infection.

[0007] In a preferred embodiment, a therapeutically effective amount of trans-clomiphene or an analogue thereof, essentially free of cis-clomiphene, is administered as a monotherapy to a human with an Ebola infection or at risk for contracting an Ebola infection.

[0008] Preferred trans-clomiphene analogs for use according to the invention are trans- clomiphene metabolites (E)-4-OH-Clomiphene (Fig. 1), (E)-4-OH-desethyl Clomiphene (Fig. 2) and (E)-4,4'-di-OH Clomiphene (Fig. 3).

[0009] In other related embodiments, the present invention is related to methods for preventing and/or treating hemorrhagic fever caused by a filovirus such as Ebola comprising administering a therapeutically and/or prophylactically effective amount of a composition comprising trans-clomiphene, an analogue thereof or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, the composition preferably being essentially free of cis- clomiphene, as a monotherapy to a mammal in need of such treatment. The mammal may be a human male or female diagnosed with a filovirus infection or at risk for developing a filovirus infection.

[0010] Preferred dosages of trans-clomiphene or an analogue or salt thereof include 1 mg to 200 mg, 1 mg to 100 mg, 2 mg to 100 mg, 2 mg to 80 mg, 5 mg to 200 mg, 5 mg to 100 mg, 5 mg to 80 mg, 5 mg to 50 mg, 5 mg to 20 mg, 10 mg to 200 mg, 10 mg to 100 mg, 10 mg to 50 mg, 12.5 mg to 200 mg, 12.5 mg to 100 mg, 12.5 mg to 50 mg, 12.5 mg to 25 mg, 25 mg to 200 mg, 25 mg to 100 mg, 50 mg to 200 mg, 50 mg to 100 mg trans- clomiphene or an analogue or salt thereof. Preferably trans-clomiphene or an analogue or salt thereof is administered daily or every other day.

[0011] Trans-clomiphene or an analogue or salt thereof according to the methods described herein is administered for a period of time sufficient to achieve the desired result. In one aspect, trans-clomiphene or an analogue or salt thereof is administered for treatment period of at least one week, at least one month, at least 3 months, at least 6 months, at least 12 months or even at least 2, 3, 4, or 5 years.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0012] FIG. 1 shows the chemical structure of (E)-4-OH-Clomiphene.

[0013] FIG. 2 shows the chemical structure of (E)-4-OH-DE-Clomiphene.

[0014] FIG. 3 shows the chemical structure of (E)-4,4'-di-OH Clomiphene.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0015] The present invention provides compositions comprising compounds that are surprisingly effective inhibitors of filovirus replication when administered as a monotherapy. Thus the compositions can be administered as a monotherapy to treat or prevent a disease caused by a filovirus.

[0016] In some embodiments, trans-clomiphene or a salt thereof, essentially free of cis- clomiphene, is administered therapeutically or prophylactically as a monotherapy to a human to treat or prevent a disease caused by a filovirus.

[0017] In other embodiments, a metabolite of trans-clomiphene or salt thereof, essentially free of cis-clomiphene, trans-clomiphene and any other metabolite of clomiphene, is administered therapeutically or prophylactically as a monotherapy to a human to treat or prevent a disease caused by a filovirus. Preferably, the trans-clomiphene metabolite is selected from (E)-4-OH-Clomiphene and (E)-4-OH-desethyl Clomiphene, which have been shown to more strongly inhibit human estrogen receptor activity relative to trans- clomiphene, with 50% inhibitory concentrations of 2.5 and 1.4 nm respectively.

[0018] "Monotherapy" refers to administering a single active agent for treating or preventing a condition, such as hemorrhagic fever. Thus, if trans-clomiphene is administered as a monotherapy for treating or preventing hemorrhagic fever, no other active agent is administered sequentially or concurrently for this purpose.

[0019] "Filovirus" refers to a virus belonging to the family Filoviridae and includes the Marburg virus and the Ebola virus.

[0020] The use of trans-clomiphene or its salts or analogs, essentially free of cis- clomiphene, as a monotherapy for treating and/or preventing a filovirus disease is advantageous over the use of a mixture of isomers as in clomiphene citrate, available commercially under the trademark Clomid as a mixture of trans-clomiphene and cis- clomiphene usually in a 3:2 ratio. A subpopulation of estrogen receptors localize to the plasma membrane. Activation of these membrane estrogen receptors can stimulate endocytosis and result in these membrane estrogen receptors being internalized onto intracellular endosomic and lysosomic membranes. The targeting of a cationic amphiphile estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) to a membrane receptor may allow interference with entry of filovirus by decreasing internalization of membrane estrogen receptors and consequently decrease their presence in endosomes and lysosomes and/or by disrupting cholesterol metabolism. Membrane trafficking through the endosomal system is important for filovirus infection (e.g. after binding to the host cell, Ebolavirus is trafficked to late endosomes before release into the cytoplasm) and also has a role in trafficking cholesterol. Trans-clomiphene, when given to humans, reduces levels of LDL cholesterol, potentially through the late endosomal/lysosomal Npc-1 cholesterol transporter which is also thought to play a crucial role in filovirus infection. Cis- clomiphene has the opposite effect. The use of trans-clomiphene, essentially free of the cis-isomer, permits a reduction in viral infection and allows a delayed or marginalized immune system to counteract infection by filovirus and provides an improvement relative to a mixture of isomers or cis-clomiphene alone.

[0021] It is to be understood that the methods described herein may be used

prophylactically, meaning to protect, in whole or in part, against a filovirus disease. The methods may also be used therapeutically to ameliorate, in whole or in part, a filovirus disease, or to protect, in whole or in part, against further progression of a filovirus disease

[0022] "Treat" or "treatment" or "treating" refers to administering an active agent to measurably slow or stop replication of a virus in vitro or in vivo, to measurably decrease the load of a virus in a cell in vitro or in vivo or to ameliorate at least one symptom associated with a disease caused by a filovirus in a mammal.

[0023] "Effective amount" refers to the amount of active agent required to treat a patient with a filovirus disease in a clinically relevant manner or prevent a filovirus disease in a patient at risk for developing such a disease when the active agent is administered as a monotherapy.

[0024] In certain embodiments, the filovirus disease to be treated or prevented according to the present invention is a hemorrhagic fever. Hemorrhagic fever is an often fatal disease in humans with symptoms including high fever, headache, joint and muscle aches, chills, sore throat, weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chest pain, rash, cough and hiccups (Ebola), stomach pain, bleeding from orifices, confusion, irritability.

[0025] The Filoviridae family comprises two members: Marburgvirus and Ebolavirus. Five species of Ebolavirus have been identified: Ivory Coast, Sudan, Zaire, Reston and Bundiubgyo. Ebola-Reston is the only filovirus identified that does not cause severe disease in humans; however it can be fatal in monkeys.

[0026] In a preferred embodiment, the hemorrhagic fever to be prevented and/or treated according to the methods described herein is Ebola hemorrhagic fever caused by Ebola- Zaire, Ebola-Sudan, Ebola-Ivory Coast or Ebola-Bundibugyo. In a particularly preferred embodiment, the hemorrhagic fever is caused by Ebola-Zaire.

[0027] Filovirus outbreaks in humans occur when the virus is transmitted from its natural reservoir (e.g. fruit bats) to a human. Once a human becomes infected, the virus is then transmitted person-to-person by close personal contact between an infected individual or their body fluids and another person. Infected individuals usually become symptomatic anywhere between 2 and 21 days after exposure to the virus.

[0028] Due to the high virus titer in the blood and other bodily fluids of infected individuals once they become symptomatic, health care workers are at a very high risk for being exposed to and acquiring Ebola virus. This risk is amplified because the symptoms of Ebola hemorrhagic fever include tremendous loss of bodily fluids through vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a method for preventing a filovirus disease in a health care worker by administering to the health care worker a prophylactically effective amount of trans-clomiphene or a salt or metabolite thereof, substantially free of cis-clomiphene, as a monotherapy. The biological effects of trans-clomiphene are fully realized within 14 days of initiating treatment. Thus, the composition is preferably administered at a dose of 5 to 100 mg per day for a period beginning at least two weeks, at least three weeks or at least one month prior to direct contact with an infected patient and continues at least until the last direct contact with the infected patient. The term "direct contact" means being within approximately three feet (1 meter) of a person with Ebola while the person is symptomatic. Preferred trans- clomiphene metabolites are (E)-4-OH-clomiphene (Fig. 1) and (E)-4-OH-desethyl- clomiphene (Fig. 2).

[0030] The family of triphenylalkylene derivatives representing analogs of clomiphene is defined here to include all unmodified trans forms, as well as each of the 4-hydroxylated, the N-dealkylated and the 4-hydroxy-N-dealkylated analogs of trans-clomiphene, as well as all other molecules with substantially similar structures. Analogs of fr-a/M-clomiphene such as those described in Ernst, et al, J. Pharmaceut. Sci. 65: 148 (1976) and the metabolites described herein are also useful in the practice of the present invention.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, compositions of the invention comprise trans- clomiphene or a salt thereof such as trans-clomiphene citrate at a dose which may range from 1 to 200 mg or from 5 to 100 mg. The dosage of trara-clomiphene may also be from 5 to 10 mg, from 5 to 12.5 mg, from 5 to 15 mg, from 5 to 20 mg, from 10 to 15 mg, from 10 to 20 mg, from 12.5 to 25 mg, from 12.5 to 50 mg, or from 25 mg to 50 mg The dosage of trara-clomiphene may also be 12.5 mg , 25 mg or 50 mg.

[0032] In one embodiment, compositions of the invention comprise one or more pharmaceutically acceptable salts of trans-clomiphene or an analogue thereof. Depending on the process conditions the salt compound obtained may be either in neutral or salt form. Salt forms include hydrates and other solvates and also crystalline polymorphs. Both the free base and the salts of these end products may be used in accordance with the invention.

[0033] Acid addition salts may be transformed into the free base using basic agents such as alkali or by ion exchange. The free base obtained may also form salts with organic or inorganic acids. [0034] In the preparation of acid addition salts, preferably such acids are used which form suitably pharmaceutically acceptable salts. Examples of such acids are hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, aliphatic acid, alicyclic carboxylic or sulfonic acids, such as formic acid, acetic acid, propionic acid, succinic acid, glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, ascorbic acid, glucuronic acid, fumaric acid, maleic acid, hydroxymaleic acid, pyruvic acid, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, p- hydroxybenzoic acid, embonic acid, ethanesulfonic acid, hydroxyethanesulfonic acid, phenylacetic acid, mandelic acid, alogenbensenesulfonic acid, toluenesulfonic acid, galactaric acid, galacturonic acid or naphthalenesulfonic acid. All crystalline form polymorphs may be used in accordance with the invention. A preferred salt is the citrate salt.

[0035] Base addition salts may also be used in accordance with the invention and may be prepared by contacting the free acid form with a sufficient amount of the desired base to produce the salt in the conventional manner. The free acid form may be regenerated by contacting the salt form with an acid and isolating the free acid in the conventional manner. Pharmaceutically acceptable base addition salts are formed with metals or amines, such as alkali and alkali earth metals or organic amines. Examples of metals used as cations are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and the like. Examples of suitable amines are amino acids such as lysine, choline, diethanolamine, ethylenediamine, N-methylglucamine and the like.

[0036] Compositions of the instant invention can be prepared in the form of a dose unit or dose units suitable for oral, parenteral, transdermal, rectal, transmucosal, or topical administration. Parenteral administration includes, but is not limited to, intravenous, intraarterial, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intrathecal, and intraarticular. Preferably, compositions of the instant invention are prepared in a form suitable for oral administration.

[0037] The terms "oral administration" or "orally deliverable" herein include any form of delivery of a therapeutic agent or a composition thereof to a subject wherein the agent or composition is placed in the mouth of the subject, whether or not the agent or

composition is swallowed. Thus, "oral administration" includes buccal and sublingual as well as esophageal (e.g. inhalation) administration. [0038] Compositions of the present invention may also be formulated for inhalation, for transdermal delivery, for parenteral administration including, but not limited to, by injection or continuous infusion, as a depot preparation, which may be administered by implantation or by intramuscular injection, or as a liposome preparation.

[0039] A composition of the invention can be in the form of solid dosage units such as tablets, (e.g. suspension tablets, bite suspension tablets, rapid dispersion tablets, chewable tablets, effervescent tablets, bilayer tablets, etc.), caplets, capsules (e.g., a soft or a hard gelatin capsule), powder (e.g. a packaged powder, a dispensable powder or an

effervescent powder), lozenges, sachets, cachets, troches, pellets, granules,

microgranules, encapsulated microgranules, powder aerosol formulations, or any other solid dosage form reasonably adapted for administration. A preferable dosage form is a soft or hard gelatin capsule. Another preferable dosage form is a tablet.

[0040] Tablets can be prepared according to any of the many relevant, well known pharmacy techniques. In one embodiment, tablets or other solid dosage forms can be prepared by processes that employ one or a combination of methods including, without limitation, (1) dry mixing, (2) direct compression, (3) milling, (4) dry or non-aqueous granulation, (5) wet granulation, or (6) fusion.

[0041] Suitable liquid dosage forms of a composition of the invention include solutions, aqueous or oily suspensions, elixirs, syrups, emulsions, liquid aerosol formulations, gels, creams, ointments, etc. Such compositions may also be formulated as a dry product for constitution with water or other suitable vehicle before use.

[0042] Compositions of the invention can, if desired, include one or more

pharmaceutically acceptable excipients. The term "excipient" herein means any substance, not itself a therapeutic agent, used as a carrier or vehicle for delivery of a therapeutic agent to a subject or added to a pharmaceutical composition to improve its handling or storage properties or to permit or facilitate formation of a unit dose of the composition. Excipients include, by way of illustration and not limitation, diluents, disintegrants, binding agents, adhesives, wetting agents, lubricants, glidants, surface modifying agents or surfactants, fragrances, suspending agents, emulsifying agents, nonaqueous vehicles, preservatives, antioxidants, adhesives, agents to adjust pH and osmolarity (e.g. buffering agents), preservatives, thickening agents, sweetening agents, flavoring agents, taste masking agents, colorants or dyes, penetration enhancers and substances added to improve appearance of the composition.

[0043] Compositions of the present invention may be administered in any manner including, but not limited to, orally, parenterally, sublingually, transdermally, rectally, transmucosally, topically, via inhalation, via buccal administration, or combinations thereof. Parenteral administration includes, but is not limited to, intravenous,

intraarterial, intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, intrathecal, intraarticular, intracisternal and intraventricular.

[0044] A therapeutically effective amount of the composition required for use in therapy varies with the length of time that activity is desired, and the age and the condition of the patient to be treated, among other factors, and is ultimately determined by the attendant physician. In general, however, doses employed for human treatment typically are in the range of about 0.001 mg/kg to about 500 mg/kg per day, for example about 1 μg/kg to about 1 mg/kg per day or about 1 μg/kg to about 100 μg/kg per day. For most large mammals, the total daily dosage is from about 1 to 100 mg, preferably from about 2 to 80 mg. The dosage regimen may be adjusted to provide the optimal therapeutic response. The desired dose may be conveniently administered in a single dose, or as multiple doses administered at appropriate intervals, for example as two, three, four or more subdoses per day.

[0045] Illustratively, a composition of the invention may be administered to a subject to provide the subject with trans-clomiphene or an analog thereof in an amount of about 1 μg/kg to about 1 mg/kg body weight, for example about 1 μg/kg, about 25 μg/kg, about 50 μg/kg, about 75 μg/kg, about 100 μg/kg, about 125 μg/kg, about 150 μg/kg, about 175 μg/kg, about 200 μg/kg, about 225 μg/kg, about 250 μg/kg, about 275 μg/kg, about 300 μg/kg, about 325 μg/kg, about 350 μg/kg, about 375 μg/kg, about 400 μg/kg, about 425 μg/kg, about 450 μg/kg, about 475 μg/kg, about 500 μg/kg, about 525 μg/kg, about 550 μg/kg, about 575 μg/kg, about 600 μg/kg, about 625 μg/kg, about 650 μg/kg, about 675 μg/kg, about 700 μg/kg, about 725 μg/kg, about 750 μg/kg, about 775 μg/kg, about 800 μg/kg, about 825 μg/kg, about 850 μg/kg, about 875 μg/kg, about 900 μg/kg, about 925 μg/kg, about 950 μg/kg, about 975 μg/kg or about 1 mg/kg body weight. [0046] In a preferred embodiment, compositions according to the present invention comprise trara-clomiphene at a dosage between one mg to about 200 mg (although the determination of optimal dosages is with the level of ordinary skill in the art). The composition may comprise tra^^-clomiphene at a dosage of about 1 mg, 2 mg, 3 mg, 4 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, 12 mg, 12.5 mg, 15 mg, 20 mg, 25 mg, 30 mg, 35 mg, 40 mg, 45 mg, 50 mg, 55 mg, 60 mg, 65 mg, 70 mg, 75 mg, 80 mg, 85 mg, 90 mg, 95 mg, 100 mg, 110 mg, 120 mg, 130 mg, 140 mg, 150 mg, 160 mg, 170 mg, 180 mg, 190 mg, 200 mg or there between. The composition is preferably substantially free of cw-clomiphene and may comprise 0% w/w cis-cloimphene. Analogs of the trans-isomer of clomiphene such as those described in Ernst, et al. supra are also useful in the practice of the present invention.

[0047] Compositions of the present invention may also be administered long-term. In this regard, the compositions may be administered for a period of at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 1 1, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31 or more days. The compositions may also be administered for an administration period of at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 or more months. The compositions may also be administered for an administration period of at least 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 8, 9, 10 or more years. During the administration period, the composition may be administered daily or periodically such as every other day and the like.

[0048] Compositions of the present invention may also be administered intermittently. For example, the compositions may be administered for an administration period of 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, or more weeks, followed by a period of discontinuance, followed by an administration period of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or more weeks, and so on.

[0049] All of the references referred to herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0050] The following Examples are meant to be illustrative of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as set out is the appended claims. EXAMPLE 1

In vitro Assay to Confirm the Inhibitory Effect of

Trans-Clomiphene on Filovirus Replication

[0051] The inhibitory effect of trans-clomiphene or an analog thereof on filovirus replication can be confirmed using a genetically modified Ebolavirus such as the GFP- expressing Ebolavirus described in Towner et al., Virology, 332:20 (2005) which causes infected cells to fluoresce. Thus, infection of the cells with Ebolavirus can be assessed by any suitable fluorescence detection method such as flow cytometry, fluorescence microscopy and the like. According to the assay, suitable host cells such as Vero E6 or HepG2 cells in 96-well plates at stationary growth phase are infected at a particular multiplicity of infection (MOI; e.g. an MOI of 0.1). Trans-clomiphene or a salt or analog thereof is then added to infected cultures in a range of dilutions. The infected cells are incubated for 48 hours at 37 C and then monitored for evidence of virus replication by determining the amount of GFP in each well using a spectrofluorometer (excitation 485 nm; emission 515 nm; cutoff 495 nm). Antiviral activity is determined by comparing GFP in the treated cells to untreated control cells. The IC₅₀ can be determined using standard methods. Interferon alpha - a compound with known inhibitory effects on filovirus replication - can be used as a positive control.

[0052] To confirm the ability of trans-clomiphene to prevent filovirus infection, the assay described above can be employed, except that trans-clomiphene or a salt or analog thereof is added to the cultured Vero E6 or HepG2 prior to infection with the GFP-expressing Ebolavirus. In each case, trans-clomiphene or a salt or analog thereof inhibits the replication of the Ebolavirus after infection or prevents the cells from being infected with Ebolavirus.

EXAMPLE 2

In vivo Assay to Confirm the Inhibitory Effect of

Trans-Clomiphene on Filovirus Replication

[0053] The mouse model of Ebola infection described in Bray et ah, J. Infect. Dis., 179:5248-5258 (1999) can be employed to confirm the therapeutic and/or prophylactic activity of trans-clomiphene or a salt or analog thereof in vivo. [0054] To confirm the therapeutic effect of trans-clomiphene or a salt or analog thereof in vivo, C57BL/6 mice are challenged with 100 pfu of a mouse adapted Ebola virus by intraperitoneal injection. One hour after challenge, the animal is treated with trans- clomiphene or a salt or analog thereof at a dose between 10 mg/kg and lOOmg/kg at a dosing frequency of four times/day for 10 days. Animals are monitored for survival for 28 days following infection and mean time to death determined for all cases where there is a sufficient number of non- survivors.

[0055] To confirm the prophylactic effect of trans-clomiphene or a salt or analog thereof in vivo, C57BL/6 mice are treated with trans-clomiphene or a salt or analog thereof at a dose between 10 mg/kg and lOOmg/kg at a dosing frequency of four times/day for 20 days. On day 10, the mice are challenged with 100 pfu of a mouse adapted Ebola virus by intraperitoneal injection. Animals are monitored for survival for 28 days following infection and mean time to death determined for all cases where there is a sufficient number of non-survivors.

EXAMPLE 3

Prophylactic Use of Trans-CIomiphene or a Salt or Analog Thereof

[0056] Subjects at high risk for exposure to a filovirus such as Ebolavirus, in particular health care professionals, begin a course of administration beginning at least one week and preferably at least two weeks, three weeks or one month prior to treating a patient having or suspected of having an Ebolavirus infection and lasting at least until the last moment of direct contact with a patient having or suspected of having an Ebolavirus infection, direct contact being defined as physical proximity of three feet or less with a symptomatic patient. Preferably, trans-clomiphene or an analogue thereof is administered at a dosage of 10 to 100 mg per day, more preferably 12.5 to 50 mg per day.

Claims

1. A method for treating or preventing a disease caused by a filovirus comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of a composition comprising trans-clomiphene or an analogue or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, the composition being substantially free of cis-clomiphene, as a monotherapy to a mammal in need of such treatment.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the filovirus is Ebola virus or Marburg virus.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the filovirus is Ebola virus.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the Ebola virus is a Zaire strain.

5. The method of any preceding claim wherein trans-clomiphene is administered at a dosage of 1 to 200 mg per day.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein trans-clomiphene is administered at a dosage of 5 to 100 mg per day.

7. The method of any preceding claim wherein the mammal is a human.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the composition is administered prophylactically to a human at risk of contracting a filovirus infection.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the human at risk of contracting a filovirus infection is a health care worker.

10. The method of claim 8 or 9 wherein the composition is administered at least 14 days prior to direct contact of said human with a patient having or suspected of having a filovirus infection.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the composition is administered therapeutically to a human with a filovirus infection.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the human is asymptomatic.

13. The method of claim 11 , wherein the human is symptomatic.

14. The method of any preceding claim wherein the disease caused by the filovirus infection is hemorrhagic fever.

15. The method of any preceding claim wherein the composition is administered for a period of at least six weeks, at least 3 months, at least 6 months or at least a year.

16. The method of any preceding claim wherein the composition comprises a metabolite of trans-clomiphene selected from the group consisting of: (E)-4-OH- clomiphene and (E)-4-OH-N-desethyl clomiphene or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.

17. The method of any preceding claim wherein the composition comprises trans-clomiphene or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and comprises about 0% w/w of c/s-clomiphene.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein the composition comprises trans- clomiphene citrate.