Antiviral Drug Discovery To Address the COVID-19 Pandemic
Douglas D. Richman
Abstract
The magnitude of the morbidity and mortality inflicted upon the global population in less than 1 year has driven the inescapable conclusion that the discovery and development of effective antiviral drugs for COVID-19 are urgent and should be prioritized. The antiviral drug discovery programs that emerged for HIV and hepatitis C virus have enabled technology and expertise to accelerate this process for SARS-CoV-2. The description of candidate lead inhibitors for the viral main protease (M pro ) exemplifies this accelerated approach and reminds us of the needs and opportunities for addressing this pandemic.
Topics & Concepts
PandemicCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)VirologyDrug discovery2019-20 coronavirus outbreakSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)DrugAntiviral drugCoronavirus InfectionsComputational biologyBiologyMedicineInfectious disease (medical specialty)BioinformaticsVirusPharmacologyDiseaseOutbreakPathologyCOVID-19 Clinical Research StudiesSARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchVitamin C and Antioxidants Research