Antiviral Agents

Antiviral agents are drugs approved in the USA by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment or control of viral infections. Available antiviral agents mainly target stages in the viral life cycle. The target stages in the viral life cycle are; viral attachment to host cell, uncoating, synthesis of viral mRNA, translation of mRNA, replication of viral RNA and DNA, maturation of new viral proteins, budding, release of newly synthesized virus, and free virus in body fluids. Two important factors that can limit the utility of antiviral drugs are toxicity and the development of resistance to the antiviral agent by the virus. In addition, host phenotypic behaviors toward antiviral drugs because of either genomic or epigenetic factors could limit the efficacy of an antiviral agent in an individual. This article summarizes the most relevant pharmacologic and clinical properties of current antiviral agents, and targets for novel antiviral agents.