Zanamivir

Description: Zanamivir is a neuraminidase inhibitor used in the treatment and prophylaxis of influenza caused by influenza A and B viruses. It was developed by the Australian biotech firm Biota Holdings. It was licensed to Glaxo in 1990 and approved in the US in 1999, only for use as a treatment for influenza. In 2006, it was approved for prevention of influenza A and B. Zanamivir was the first neuraminidase inhibitor commercially developed. Zanamivir works by binding to the active site of the neuraminidase protein, rendering the influenza virus unable to escape its host cell and infect others.[14] It is also an inhibitor of influenza virus replication in vitro and in vivo. References: Heneghan CJ, Onakpoya I, Thompson M, Spencer EA, Jones M, Jefferson T. Zanamivir for influenza in adults and children: systematic review of clinical study reports and summary of regulatory comments. BMJ. 2014 Apr 9;348:g2547. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g2547. Review. PubMed PMID: 24811412; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC3981976.