Highlights in Antiviral Drug Research: Antivirals at the Horizon

Clercq, Erik De

This review highlights ten “hot topics” in current antiviral research: (i) new nucleoside derivatives (i.e., PSI‐352938) showing high potential as a direct antiviral against hepatitis C virus (HCV); (ii) cyclopropavir, which should be further pursued for treatment of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infections; (iii) North‐methanocarbathymidine (N‐MCT), with a N‐locked conformation, showing promising activity against both α‐ and γ‐herpesviruses; (iv) CMX001, an orally bioavailable prodrug of cidofovir with broad‐spectrum activity against DNA viruses, including polyoma, adeno, herpes, and pox; (v) favipiravir, which is primarily pursued for the treatment of influenza virus infections, but also inhibits the replication of other RNA viruses, particularly (‐)RNA viruses such as arena, bunya, and hanta; (vi) newly emerging antiarenaviral compounds which should be more effective (and less toxic) than the ubiquitously used ribavirin; (vii) antipicornavirus agents in clinical development (pleconaril, BTA‐798, and V‐073); (viii) natural products receiving increased attention as potential antiviral drugs; (ix) antivirals such as U0126 targeted at specific cellular kinase pathways [i.e., mitogen extracellular kinase (MEK)], showing activity against influenza and other viruses; and (x) two structurally unrelated compounds (i.e., LJ‐001 and dUY11) with broad‐spectrum activity against virtually all enveloped RNA and DNA viruses. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Med. Res. Rev., 00, No. 0, 1–34, 2012