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How do antiviral drugs work?
October 7, 2020
Antiviral drugs are medicines that fight against viruses in your body by impeding the infection process. Antivirals are commonly used to treat HIV/AIDS, influenza, herpes, and hepatitis B and C. The antiviral, Remdesivir, which was originally developed to fight Ebola, is now being used to treat COVID-19.
On the Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Gregory Poland, an infectious diseases expert and head of Mayo Clinic's Vaccine Research Group, explains how antivirals work to shorten the course of the disease.