Antiviral Nucleosides - Chiral Synthesis and Chemotherapy

Since the discovery of AZT in 1985, soon after the discovery of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a number of laboratories of nucleosides and viral pharmacology intensified their efforts in order to come-up with more safe and potent anti-HIV agents. From these efforts, scientists further discovered ddl, ddC and d4T as potent and clinically useful agents, although these agents also possess different profiles of antiviral activity as well as side-effects. With these agents in hand we opened a new era of combination chemotherapy of viral diseases. However, retrospectively, the major breakthrough came when 3TC (lamivudine) was discovered as a potent anti-HIV agent.