Antiviral Resistance in Influenza Virus: Mechanism of Action

The "Spanish flu" pandemic caused by H1N1 virus in 1918 caused 50 million deaths. The best-known drugs for treating influenza viruses are antiviral drugs, including amantadine, rimantadine, zanamivir, and oseltamivir. Amantadine and rimantadine are excellent prophylactic drugs against influenza A. Whereas, Zanamivir and oseltamivir have comparable efficacy against influenza A and B viruses. This paper reviews antiviral drugs, approved for clinical use. This review evaluates neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs), focusing on their mechanism of action and the emergence of resistance to them. The results showed that the viruses mutated and developed resistance during the treatment with NAIs for seasonal, pandemic, and avian influenza