Dancing with chemical formulae of antivirals: A panoramic view (Part 2)

In this second part of "Dancing with antivirals as chemical formulae" I will focus on a number of chemical compounds that in the last few years have elicited more than common attraction from a commercial viewpoint: (i) favipiravir (T-705), as it is active against influenza, but also several other RNA viruses; (ii) neuraminidase inhibitors such as zanamivir and oseltamivir; (iii) peramivir and laninamivir octanoate, which might be effective against influenza virus following a single (intravenous or inhalation) administration; (iv) sofosbuvir, the (anticipated) cornerstone for the interferon-free therapy of HCV infections; (v) combinations of DAAs (direct antiviral agents) to achieve, in no time, a sustained virus response (SVR) against HCV infection; (vi) HIV protease inhibitors, the latest and most promising being darunavir; (vii) the integrase inhibitors (INIs) (raltegravir, elvitegravir, dolutegravir), representing a new dimension in the anti-HIV armamentarium; (viii), a new class of helicase primase inhibitors (HPIs) that may exceed acyclovir and the other anti-herpes compounds in both potency and safety; (ix) CMX-001, as the latest of Dr. Antonin Holy's legacy for its activity against poxviruses and CMV infections, and (x) noroviruses for which the ideal antiviral compounds are still awaited for. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.