Antiviral Market Overview

The past 15 years have seen significant progress in developing new antivirals. In 1990, there were just five drugs licensed as antiviral agents, whereas now there are approximately 40 drugs in the antiviral market repertoire, most being for the treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Over the years, one of the main attributes sought in a new antiviral is the capacity to treat patients who have developed resistance to existing treatments, and numerous compounds are investigated in such advanced-stage patients. The main need for antiviral agents, past, present, and likely in the future continues to be in the world's poorest countries. This chapter will provide a thorough overview of the antiviral market.

Keywords: human immunodeficiency virus (HIV); acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS); varicella-zoster virus; cytomegalovirus; influenza virus; respiratory syncytial virus (RSV); hepatitis B virus (HBV); hepatitis C virus (HCV); herpes simplex virus (HSV)