New Concepts of Antiviral Therapy

Antiviral drugs are important tools for treatment or prevention of viral infections. These drugs were first used for monotherapy, but nowadays combinations of antiviral agents are often part of a standard treatment as evidenced by e.g. HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy). However, in almost every case of antiviral therapy, drug resistant viruses appear. In addition, the low oral bioavailability, toxicity and the number of severe side effects still pose significant problems.