Taking aim at a moving target — inhibitors of influenza virus Part 2: viral replication, packaging and release

Abstract

In this two part review, the current status of influenza research is summarized in the context of inhibitor design and discovery. In Part 1, published in the August edition of Drug Discovery Today, the authors considered therapeutic approaches to influenza through interference with early phases of the virus life cycle. In Part 2, the authors describe the current level of understanding of the biochemical aspects of viral replication, packaging and release, and recent progress in the design and identification of potent and selective inhibitors of these crucial stages in the life cycle. Recent developments at both the preclinical and the clinical level highlight the considerable potential of this area of influenza inhibitor drug discovery.