An international team of researchers has identified a promising new approach for treating infections with the Hepatitis E virus (HEV). At the center of the study is the drug Apilimod, which specifically blocks the entry of the virus into human liver cells, thereby preventing infection at an early stage. The compound targets a mechanism of the host cell, reducing the likelihood that the virus will develop resistance.

Apilimod has already been clinically evaluated, which could accelerate its development into a drug against hepatitis E. The study, led by the Department of Molecular and Medical Virology at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, was published in the journal eGastroenterology on March 31, 2026.