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ANTIVIRAL AGENTS IN DERMATOLOGY: CURRENT STATUS AND FUTURE PROSPECTS
Author(s) -
MEMAR OMEED M.,
TYRING STEPHEN K.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
international journal of dermatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 93
eISSN - 1365-4632
pISSN - 0011-9059
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-4362.1995.tb01082.x
Subject(s) - medicine , dermatology , current (fluid) , medline , dermatologic agents , intensive care medicine , antibiotics , electrical engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , political science , law , engineering , biology
The majority of current antiviral agents have become available only during the past decade. The above mentioned antiviral drugs, especially the viral-TK-specific agents have attempted to bring antiviral therapy on par with antimicrobial therapy. The fact, that cells infected with viruses can be selected against the relatively low toxicity to the patient, highlights the present state of antiviral therapy. Since viral infection can be viewed as an integral component of the self (i.e., a condition that cannot simply be surgically eliminated), the science of medicine is turning to the components of the self to overcome such conditions. By administering immune-system-derived agents (e.g., interferons) or compounds that stimulate the immune system (e.g., adjuvants like imiquimod), previously unmanageable conditions become manageable. The future of antiviral therapy will undoubtedly be at the molecular level. With greater understanding of the virus and the immune system with which it interacts, more specific and efficacious antiviral agents will be added to the arsenal of the clinician.