Investigational drugs for the treatment of Zika virus infection: a preclinical and clinical update.

Investigational drugs for the treatment of Zika virus infection: a preclinical and clinical update. Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2018 Nov 15;: Authors: Han Y, Mesplède T Abstract INTRODUCTION: The Zika virus (ZIKV) infection results in severe neurological complications and has emerged as a threat to public health worldwide. No drugs or vaccines are available for use in the clinic and the need for novel and effective therapeutic agents is urgent. Areas covered: This review describes the latest progress of antiviral development for the treatment of ZIKV infection; it primarily focuses on the literature describing twenty potential anti-ZIKV drugs/agents currently being tested in vivo or in clinical trials. The paper also discusses the need for novel ZIKV inhibitors and the critical issues for successful antiviral drug development. Expert opinion: So far, twenty compounds have been tested in vivo and three in the clinical trials; progressing these compounds to the clinic is a challenge. Novel ZIKV inhibitors that target virus or host factors are urgently needed. Knowledge-driven drug repurposing, structure-based discovery, RNA interference, long non-coding RNAs, miRNAs, and peptide inhibitors may pave the way for the discovery of such novel agents. PMID: 30430882 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Tags: Expert Opin Investig Drugs Source Type: research