KEYWORDS antiviral agents; chemotherapy; polyamidoamine; multivalency.

Hepatitis C therapy in the era of the newer direct-acting antiviral agents has radically changed our treatment schemes by achieving very high rates of sustained virological response. However, treatment with direct antiviral agents fails in a subgroup of patients. This group of so-called difficult-to-treat individuals is the subject of this paper, which reviews the causes of virological failure,...

An updated review of the antiviral agents currently available or under trial for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B is presented. There are two broad groups: (1) immunomodulators including interferon a (which also has a direct antiviral effect), thymosin a1 and Theradigm-HBV and (2) viral suppressors such as famciclovir and lamivudine. These agents are still in clinical trial worldwide, singl...

The outbreak of HIV infection introduced a new phenomenon in varicella zoster virus (VZV) pathology, namely the long-standing wart-like skin lesions that are frequently associated with resistance to thymidine kinase (TK)-dependent antiviral agents. This paper reviews the clinical, histological, and molecular aspects and the therapeutic management of these verrucous lesions. The majority of lesi...

Since the release of amantadine in 1966, other agents designed to fight a diverse range of viral infections have been released. Part I of this two-part article focuses on agents used to manage hepatitis, cytomegalovirus, and herpes infections. In patients with chronic hepatitis B, interferon alfa-2b or lamivudine is the treatment of choice. Pegylated interferon alfa-2a or -2b, along with ribavi...

This summary provides an overview of investigational antiviral agents for influenza and of future directions for development of influenza therapeutics. While progress in developing clinically useful antiviral agents for influenza has been generally slow, especially with respect to seriously ill and high-risk patients, important clinical studies of intravenous neuraminidase inhibitors, antibodie...

Isatis indigotica is widely used in Chinese Traditional Medicine for clinical treatment of virus infection, tumor, and inflammation, yet its antiviral activities remain unclear. This study probed antiviral activity of I. indigotica extract and its marker compounds against Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV). I. indigotica methanol extract, indigo, and indirubin proved less cytotoxic than other co...

In recent years, resistance testing has become an important tool in optimizing the combination therapy for treating HIV infected individuals. The identification of resistance mutations has allowed physicians to select the antiviral agents with maximum therapeutic benefic and minimum toxic side effects. The current therapeutic agents approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), their mech...

Developing countries face unique difficulties preparing for an influenza pandemic. Our current top-down approach will not provide these countries with adequate supplies of vaccines and antiviral agents. Consequently, they will have to use a bottom-up approach based on inexpensive generic agents that either modify the host response to influenza virus or act as antiviral agents. Several of these ...

Antiviral agents are available that are safe and effective for the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza virus infections in children. The neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir [Tamiflu] and zanamivir [Relenza]) are preferred agents because of current widespread resistance to the adamantanes (amantadine [Symmetrel] and rimantadine [Flumadine]). Therapy should be provided to children with influ...