NS5A inhibitors

As a result of rapid advance medicinal chemistry, the time frame 2011-2012 has been an exciting one that has witnessed the release of the first direct acting antiviral agents (DAA). Multiple enzymatic and protein regions of the virus can serve as targets for these new drugs. One of the newest and most promising of these targets is the NS5A protein. The structure of this protein consists of three separate domains that are still under investigation as far as their function. Information, however, suggests that the NS5A acts within the context of a multi-protein complex. There has now been rapid and extensive the investigation of the use of a multitude of NS5A inhibitors from a variety of pharmaceutical companies. The activities and results of these various inhibitors in both preclinical as well as their clinical trials are examined during the course of this review.