Antiviral Drugs

Email a friend
Contact the editor about this article
How to cite

Antiviral Drugs

John S Oxford, St Bartholomew's and the Royal London Hospital and Retroscreen Virology Ltd., London, UK

Published online: September 2008

DOI: 10.1002/9780470015902.a0000410.pub2

Full Article on Wiley Online Library

Abstract
Images
References

Antiviral drugs have now been developed against influenza, herpes, human immunodeficiency viruses, hepatitis C and hepatitis B. Drug resistance is a practical problem and is stimulating the wider search for new drugs using compound libraries, molecular technology and particularly X-ray crystallography whilst drug combinations are used in acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients and hepatitis to reduce the opportunities for virus mutations. The threat of a global outbreak of chicken influenza (H5N1) has led to government stockpiling of the new antiflu drugs, the neuraminidase inhibitors. Pegylated and other interferons are used in drug combinations with hepatitis B and C patients.

Keywords: antivirals; influenza; HIV; herpes; hepatitis

References
	Bauer DJ, St Vincent L, Kempe CH and Downie AW (1963) Prophylactic treatment of smallpox contacts with N-methyl-isatin--thiosemicarbazone (compound 33T57, marboran). Lancet ii: 494–496.
	book Collier L and Oxford JS (2007) Human Virology: A Text for Students of Medicine and Dentistry, 3rd edn. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
	De Clercq (2004) Antiviral drugs in current clinical use. Journal of Clinical Virology 30: 115–133.
	Elion GB, Furman PA, Fyfe JA et al. (1977) Selectivity of action of an antiherpetic agent, 9-(2-hydroxyethoxymethyl) guanine. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA 74: 5716–5720.
	Fauci AS (1999) The AIDS epidemic; considerations for the 21st century. New England Journal of Medicine 341: 1046–1050.
	other Field HJ and Wassilew S (eds) (1997) Managing herpesvirus infections in the 21st century. Proceedings of a meeting held in Limassol, Cyprus. Antiviral Chemistry and Chemotherapy 8 (suppl. 1).
	Gubareva LV, Kaiser L and Hayden FG (2000) Influenza virus neuraminidase inhibitors. Lancet 355: 827–835.
	Laver WG, Bischofberger N and Webster RG (1999) Disarming flu viruses. Scientific American 280(1): 78–87.
	Longini IM Jr, Nizam A, Xu S et al. (2005) Containing pandemic influenza at the source. Science 309: 1083–1087.
	Pawlotsky JM, Chevaliez S and McHutchinson JG (2007) The hepatitis C virus recycle as a target for new antiviral therapies. Gastroenterology 132: 1979–1998.
	Smith TJ, Kremer HJ, Luo M et al. (1986) The site of attachment in human rhinovirus 14 for antiviral agents that inhibit uncoating. Science 233: 1286–1293.
	book Stuart-Harris CH, Schild GC and Oxford JS (1985) Influenza: The Viruses and the Disease. London: Edward Arnold.
	Webster RG, Peiris M, Chen H and Guan Y (2006) H5N1 outbreaks and enzootic influenza. Emerging Infectious Diseases 12: 3–8.
Further Reading
	book Cedric Mims (2000) The War Within Us, Everyones Guide to Infection and Immunity, p. 278. London: Academic Press.
	book Knipe DM and Howley PM (eds) (2001) Fields Virology, 4th edn, vols. 1 and 2. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
	book Mahy BWJ and ter Meulen V (eds) (2005) Topley and Wilsons Microbiology and Microbial Infections. 10th edn, Virology, vols. 1 and 2. London: Hodder Arnold.
	book Mettenleiter TC and Sobrino F (eds) (2008) Animal Viruses. Molecular Biology, p. 531. UK: Caister Academic Press.
	book Torrence PF (ed.) (2005) Antiviral Drug Discovery for Emerging Diseases and Bioterrorism Threats, p. 420. New Jersey: Wiley.

Article Title:	Antiviral Drugs
* Name:
* E-mail:
* Note:

	Figure 1. Ribbon drawing of influenza A neuraminidase (NA) enzyme. (a) Normal influenza NA and (b) oseltamivir inhibitor bound to the active site of the NA.
	Figure 2. Space-filling model of influenza A NA enzyme with zanamivir inhibitor bound at the active site.

Antiviral Drugs

Related Sub-Topics: