Drug design of anti-covid19 agents
The first step to drug development that precedes formulation is drug design. In this commentary the specific design of antiviral agents for Covid19 and future viruses, which can be achieved with different strategies, is highlighted. An extended release type of formulation would be ideal for site-specific antivirals however early in vitro or toxicology screening is very important. A lot of preparations are already available to be exploited. Conversely, some are available for pediatric use, i.e lung surfactants, which understandably the supply of is aimed at premature children. New lung surfactant design for adults could however be also incentivised which may help re-establishing autonomous respiration (autonomically mediated) post-covid19 infection of the individual. The surfactants could also help counteract dyspnea which is sometimes a known side effect of antiviral agents.