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Review
. 2020 Apr;56(2):150-167.
doi: 10.1007/s11262-020-01737-5. Epub 2020 Feb 19.

Antivirals in medical biodefense

J J Bugert  1 , F Hucke  2 , P Zanetta  2 , M Bassetto  3 , A Brancale  4
Affiliations
Review

Antivirals in medical biodefense

J J Bugert et al. Virus Genes. 2020 Apr.

Abstract

The viruses historically implicated or currently considered as candidates for misuse in bioterrorist events are poxviruses, filoviruses, bunyaviruses, orthomyxoviruses, paramyxoviruses and a number of arboviruses causing encephalitis, including alpha- and flaviviruses. All these viruses are of concern for public health services when they occur in natural outbreaks or emerge in unvaccinated populations. Recent events and intelligence reports point to a growing risk of dangerous biological agents being used for nefarious purposes. Public health responses effective in natural outbreaks of infectious disease may not be sufficient to deal with the severe consequences of a deliberate release of such agents. One important aspect of countermeasures against viral biothreat agents are the antiviral treatment options available for use in post-exposure prophylaxis. These issues were adressed by the organizers of the 16th Medical Biodefense Conference, held in Munich in 2018, in a special session on the development of drugs to treat infections with viruses currently perceived as a threat to societies or associated with a potential for misuse as biothreat agents. This review will outline the state-of-the-art methods in antivirals research discussed and provide an overview of antiviral compounds in the pipeline that are already approved for use or still under development.

Keywords: Antiviral; BSL3/4 viral pathogens; Medical biodefense.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest, particularly, no recommendations regarding priority development of drugs or preferred use are made, except in the context of regulatory approval.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Methodical approach to antivirals design and biological evaluation
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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