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Review
. 2022 Mar 4;19(5):3018.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19053018.

Antiviral Drugs in Influenza

Magdalena Świerczyńska  1 , Dagmara M Mirowska-Guzel  1 , Edyta Pindelska  2
Affiliations
Review

Antiviral Drugs in Influenza

Magdalena Świerczyńska et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Flu is a serious health, medical, and economic problem, but no therapy is yet available that has satisfactory results and reduces the occurrence of these problems. Nearly 20 years after the registration of the previous therapy, baloxavir marboxil, a drug with a new mechanism of action, recently appeared on the market. This is a promising step in the fight against the influenza virus. This article presents the possibilities of using all available antiviral drugs specific for influenza A and B. We compare all currently recommended anti-influenza medications, considering their mechanisms of action, administration, indications, target groups, effectiveness, and safety profiles. We demonstrate that baloxavir marboxil presents a similar safety and efficacy profile to those of drugs already used in the treatment of influenza. Further research on combination therapy is highly recommended and may have promising results.

Keywords: amantadine; baloxavir marboxil; influenza treatment; laninamivir; neuraminidase inhibitors; oseltamivir; peramivir; zanamivir.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Life cycle of influenza A virus.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Influenza virus neuraminidase complexed with zanamivir.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Influenza virus endonuclease complexed with baloxavir acid.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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