title: Looking back in 2009 at the dawning of antiviral therapy now 50 years ago an historical perspective.
abstract: In 1959, 5-iodo-2'-deoxyuridine (IDU) was described, the first antiviral drug ever to be (and still) marketed (for the topical treatment of herpetic keratitis). Now 50 years following the description (of the synthesis) of IDU, we have 50 compounds on the market that have been licensed for clinical use in the treatment of virus infections. Of those 50, exactly 25 have been formally approved as anti-HIV drugs; the other 25 have been formally approved for the treatment of other virus infections: herpes simplex virus (HSV), varicella-zoster virus (VZV), cytomegalovirus (CMV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and influenza virus infections.
authors.affiliation: Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, K.U.Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Erik
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: De Clercq
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000266:history* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000821:virology; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors / Q000266:history / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents; D000998:Antiviral Agents; D018894:Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors