Antiviral Drugs for Acute Infections

After the great success of the research and development of antiviral drugs to treat chronic infections like HIV and hepatitis C, attention is turning to treatment of acute viral infections. In this article, we illustrate the potential for developing antiviral drugs to treat such infections. Four distinct clinical problems caused by four different viruses allow exploration of the problems associated with each disease. Targets for each virus are evaluated, and the progress made to date in identifying suitable clinical candidates is discussed. Finally, we consider the problem of emerging acute virus infections and improving rapidity of responses to them.