Avian influenza A (H5N1) infection: targets and strategies for chemotherapeutic intervention

In an avian flu pandemic, which drugs could be used to treat or prevent infection with influenza A (H5N1) virus? Foremost are the viral neuraminidase inhibitors oseltamivir and zanamivir, which have already been used to treat human influenza A (H1N1 and H3N2) and B virus infections. The use of the M2 ion channel blockers amantadine and rimantadine is compounded by the rapid development of drug resistance. Although formally approved for other...