The future of antiviral chemotherapy.

This article has reviewed the principal antiviral agents and their application in the therapy and prevention of viral diseases. Only acyclovir, amantadine, ribavirin, zidovudine, and vidarabine have received FDA approval for therapy of systemic viral infections. Although ganciclovir, phosphonoformate, the acyclovir prodrugs, disoxaril, and the interferons are now being used only on an investigational basis, it is likely that at least some of these agents will soon be licensed. The search for more effective and safer antivirals continues, and with increasing academic and industrial interest, the prospects for this branch of chemotherapy appear promising.