Antiviral Drug
"How Does an Antiviral Drug Work?"
Antiviral drugs are in a medicine classification all by themselves -- but they are specifically used for treating viral infections. But there is not one universal antiviral drug -- for every virus, there is a specific antiviral drug that should be used.
And while antiviral drugs are widely used, researchers are still trying to find a way to extend the range of use and effectiveness.
Designing these antiviral drugs are somewhat difficult because the viruses use hots cells to replicate. So in order for an antiviral drug to be most effective, it needs to only destroy the virus without harming the host cell. Another reason why creating new antiviral drugs is difficult is because viruses are constantly changing, the antiviral drug that worked last year for the influenza virus, might not be effective in the upcoming year.
Almost all host cells and viruses are subject to drug-resistance as they mutate over time. If fact recent information has been published stressing the need for a re-arrangement of one of theantiviral drugs that helps to fight the flu.
Both the tamiflu and relenza antiviral drugs needed to be revisited so they can become more effective in fighting the H1N1 virus. The H1N1 virus presents a new strain of the virus, and then in order for people to protected against this strain of the flu, a new antiviral drug needed to be re-created to become effective.
The emergence of the antiviral drug is in great thanks to the medical advances that have been able to determine that the genetic functions and of organisms are directly inked to host cells that are mostly attacked by viruses.
