Inhibitors of hepatitis C--a review of the recent patent literature.
A review of the patent literature for inhibitors of hepatitis C virus (HCV) is presented for the period of January 2001 to December 2001. This review focuses on inhibitors of virally encoded enzymes/proteins, especially HCV NS3 serine protease and NS5B RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RDRP), both of which have emerged as primary anti-HCV targets as a result of detailed understanding of their biological functions and the high quality structural information available. A number of potent small molecule inhibitors for these enzymes have been disclosed during this period of time. Inhibitors of other virally encoded enzymes have also been reported, but in lower numbers. With recent advances in obtaining a stable HCV cell-based assay to facilitate screening and selection of inhibitors, it is highly likely that effective small molecule antiviral therapies for HCV infection should soon emerge.
Zhang
Xiaojun
X
Experimental Station, E500/3205A, Department of Chemistry, Bristol-Myers Squibb Pharmaceutical Research Institute, Wilmington, DE 19880 USA. xiaojun.zhang@bms.com