The Indispensable Value of Small-Molecule Antivirals in Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness

Harbingers of infectious viral pandemics, such as the H1N1 influenza, SARS, Zika, Ebola, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2, caused major outbreaks in the first two decades of the 21st century. Despite warnings, therapeutic tools that could be rapidly and sustainably scaled at a global level when SARS-CoV-2 emerged were lacking. Small-molecule antivirals can play a crucial role in both individual patient care and broader public health strategies for controlling and mitigating the impact of viral diseases. Despite their utility, the lack of R&D investment in this class of intervention has prevented the world from reaping the benefits they can deliver. The INTREPID Alliance 2025 publication of the Antiviral Clinical and Preclinical Development Landscape-4th Edition, revealed significant gaps in the development pipeline. No antivirals are in clinical development for 4 of the 13 viral families designated by the World Health Organization as viral families of pandemic and endemic concern.

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Publication Details

Journal
Clinical Infectious Diseases
Published
2025-08-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaf476
Primary Topic
COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

The Indispensable Value of Small-Molecule Antivirals in Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness

Bruce M. Altevogt, James F. Demarest, Tomáš Cihlář, Nina Hill et al.
Clinical Infectious Diseases
COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
article

The Indispensable Value of Small-Molecule Antivirals in Epidemic and Pandemic Preparedness

Bruce M. Altevogt, James F. Demarest, Tomáš Cihlář, Nina Hill, Kenneth A. Bradley, Ruxandra Draghia‐Akli, Barry Clinch, Johan Neyts, Kelly Chibale
article en

Abstract

Harbingers of infectious viral pandemics, such as the H1N1 influenza, SARS, Zika, Ebola, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2, caused major outbreaks in the first two decades of the 21st century. Despite warnings, therapeutic tools that could be rapidly and sustainably scaled at a global level when SARS-CoV-2 emerged were lacking. Small-molecule antivirals can play a crucial role in both individual patient care and broader public health strategies for controlling and mitigating the impact of viral diseases. Despite their utility, the lack of R&D investment in this class of intervention has prevented the world from reaping the benefits they can deliver. The INTREPID Alliance 2025 publication of the Antiviral Clinical and Preclinical Development Landscape-4th Edition, revealed significant gaps in the development pipeline. No antivirals are in clinical development for 4 of the 13 viral families designated by the World Health Organization as viral families of pandemic and endemic concern.

Clinical Infectious DiseasesVol. 82(1)
Roche (Switzerland) (CH), Cambridge Health Alliance (US), University of Cape Town (ZA), Discovery Centre (CA), Silverton Hospital (US), Alliance Pharmaceutical (United States) (US), Novavax (United States) (US), Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (GB), LEK Consulting (United States) (US), Zen Bio (United States) (US), Wellcome Centre for Infectious Diseases Research in Africa (ZA), Gilead Sciences (United States) (US), KU Leuven (BE)
Openalex Percentile: Top 72%
COVID-19 Clinical Research Studies
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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