AUTHOR=Kumar Mrityunjay , Baig Mirza Sarwar , Bhardwaj Kanchan 

TITLE=Advancements in the development of antivirals against SARS-Coronavirus

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

VOLUME=Volume 15 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cellular-and-infection-microbiology/articles/10.3389/fcimb.2025.1520811

DOI=10.3389/fcimb.2025.1520811

ISSN=2235-2988

ABSTRACT=Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) caused an outbreak in 2002-2003, spreading to 29 countries with a mortality rate of about 10%. Strict quarantine and infection control methods quickly stopped the spread of the disease. Later research showed that SARS-CoV came from animals (zoonosis) and stressed the possibility of a similar spread from host to human, which was clearly shown by the COVID-19 outbreak. The COVID-19 pandemic, instigated by SARS-CoV-2, has affected 776 million confirmed cases and more than seven million deaths globally as of Sept 15, 2024. The existence of animal reservoirs of coronaviruses continues to pose a risk of re-emergence with improved fitness and virulence. Given the high death rate (up to 70 percent) and the high rate of severe sickness (up to 68.7 percent in long-COVID patients), it is even more critical to identify new therapies as soon as possible. This study combines research on antivirals that target SARS coronaviruses that have been conducted over the course of more than twenty years. It is a beneficial resource that might be useful in directing future studies.