Recent changes in the mutational dynamics of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease substantiate the danger of emerging resistance to antiviral drugs.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

The current coronavirus pandemic is being combated worldwide by nontherapeutic measures and massive vaccination programs. Nevertheless, therapeutic options such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main-protease (M^pro) inhibitors are essential due to the ongoing evolution toward escape from natural or induced immunity. While antiviral strategies are vulnerable to the effects of viral mutation, the relatively conserved M^pro makes an attractive drug target: Nirmatrelvir, an antiviral targeting its active site, has been authorized for conditional or emergency use in several countries since December 2021, and a number of other inhibitors are under clinical evaluation. We analyzed recent SARS-CoV-2 genomic data, since early d

SUBMITTER: Parigger L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9794616 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature