ABSTRACT
Viruses cause extensive morbidity and mortality worldwide, but advances in the chemotherapy of viral diseases are limited. Only a few antiviral agents of proven clinical effectiveness are available for a limited number of indications. Antiviral drug development has become a very active area during the past 20 years, especially with the challenges presented by the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), hepatitis, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemics. The need to develop more selective inhibitors of viral function has resulted in many antiviral drug clinical trials for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) as well as other viral diseases and should lead to important progress in the future.
