Antiviral Drugs: From Lab to Patient

HIV drugs known as nucleoside analogs have given hope to many patients, but with long-term use they can damage certain organs.

In the mid 1980’s Yale pharmacologist Yung-Chi “Tommy” Cheng, PhD, was searching for the mechanism that leads to this damage, when he discovered a new class of compounds that paved the way for a new direction in drug development.

One of the drugs discovered by Dr. Cheng and his colleagues in this new class is an HIV drug called Emtriva that has been approved by the FDA and is also showing promise as a treatment for hepatitis B.

His continued research has led to the discovery of two additional compounds in this class: Elvucitabine is longeracting than Emtriva and is being tested in the treatment of HIV and hepatitis B, and Clevudine, which continues to work even after patients stop taking it, is proving effective against hepatitis B.

Dr. Cheng is excited that discoveries he has made in the laboratory are proving beneficial to people who need them.