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A guide to COVID‐19 antiviral therapeutics: a summary and perspective of the antiviral weapons against SARS‐CoV‐2 infection

Antiviral therapies are integral in the fight against SARS‐CoV‐2 (i.e. severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the causative agent of COVID‐19. Antiviral therapeutics can be divided into categories based on how they combat the virus, including viral entry into the host cell, viral replicat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The FEBS journal 2024-04, Vol.291 (8), p.1632-1662
Main Authors: Brady, Drugan K., Gurijala, Aashi R., Huang, Liyu, Hussain, Ali A., Lingan, Audrey L., Pembridge, Olivia G., Ratangee, Brina A., Sealy, Tristan T., Vallone, Kyle T., Clements, Thomas P.
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Language:English
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Summary:Antiviral therapies are integral in the fight against SARS‐CoV‐2 (i.e. severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), the causative agent of COVID‐19. Antiviral therapeutics can be divided into categories based on how they combat the virus, including viral entry into the host cell, viral replication, protein trafficking, post‐translational processing, and immune response regulation. Drugs that target how the virus enters the cell include: Evusheld, REGEN‐COV, bamlanivimab and etesevimab, bebtelovimab, sotrovimab, Arbidol, nitazoxanide, and chloroquine. Drugs that prevent the virus from replicating include: Paxlovid, remdesivir, molnupiravir, favipiravir, ribavirin, and Kaletra. Drugs that interfere with protein trafficking and post‐translational processing include nitazoxanide and ivermectin. Lastly, drugs that target immune response regulation include interferons and the use of anti‐inflammatory drugs such as dexamethasone. Antiviral therapies offer an alternative solution for those unable or unwilling to be vaccinated and are a vital weapon in the battle against the global pandemic. Learning more about these therapies helps raise awareness in the general population about the options available to them with respect to aiding in the reduction of the severity of COVID‐19 infection. In this ‘A Guide To’ article, we provide an in‐depth insight into the development of antiviral therapeutics against SARS‐CoV‐2 and their ability to help fight COVID‐19. This review details antiviral therapeutics investigated for use in the fight against COVID‐19, classified by their targets in the SARS‐CoV‐2 (i.e. severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) life cycle. Both therapeutics authorized for COVID‐19 treatment and unauthorized treatments (italicized in the image) are discussed. Four major target categories are examined: viral entry into host cell, viral replication (including protease inhibition and interactions with the replication‐transcription complex), protein trafficking and post‐translational processing, and immune response regulation.
ISSN:1742-464X
1742-4658
DOI:10.1111/febs.16662