Viral capsid inhibitor

A viral capsid inhibitor is an antiviral drug that binds to viral capsid proteins and interferes with the assembly or dissasembly of the capsid thus blocking the replication of the virus.[1] Assembly inhibitors are more common[2] but disassembly (uncoating) inhibitors have also been identified.[1] Individual viral capsid inhibitors typically bind selectively to the capsid of a single virus or a closely related group of viruses, making them unsuitable as broad-spectrum antivirals.[1]

The most notable example of a viral capsid inhibitor is lenacapavir which has been approved for treating and preventing HIV-1 infections.[3] Additional examples are presented in the table below.

Viral capsid inhibitors
Drug (INN) Virus target Regulatory status
Lenacapavir Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)[3] Approved in the European Union and United States for treatment of multidrug-resistant HIV-1 infection. Also approved as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV-1.[3][4][5]
Pleconaril Picornaviruses (including enteroviruses and rhinoviruses)[6] Advanced to late-stage clinical development, but was not granted approval and development was discontinued.[6][7]
Neracorvir Hepatitis B virus (HBV)[8][9] Investigational antiviral drug in phase III clinical trials for chronic HBV infection.[8][10]
Canocapavir Hepatitis B virus (HBV)[11] Investigational antiviral drug with phase III clinical trials for chronic HBV infection planned[12]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Hozáková L, Vokatá B, Ruml T, Ulbrich P (January 2022). "Targeting the Virus Capsid as a Tool to Fight RNA Viruses". Viruses. 14 (2): 174. doi:10.3390/v14020174. PMC 8879806. PMID 35215767.
  2. ↑ Perlmutter JD, Hagan MF (April 2015). "Mechanisms of virus assembly". Annual Review of Physical Chemistry. 66: 217–39. doi:10.1146/annurev-physchem-040214-121637. PMC 4382372. PMID 25532951.
  3. 1 2 3 Paik J (September 2022). "Lenacapavir: First Approval". Drugs. 82 (14): 1499–1504. doi:10.1007/s40265-022-01786-0. PMC 10267266. PMID 36272024.
  4. ↑ Prather C, Lee A, Yen C (December 2023). "Lenacapavir: A first-in-class capsid inhibitor for the treatment of highly treatment-resistant HIV". American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. 80 (24): 1774–1780. doi:10.1093/ajhp/zxad223. PMID 37767713.
  5. ↑ "Sunlenca (lenacapavir) receives FDA approval as a first-in-class twice yearly treatment option for people living with multidrug-resistant HIV". Gilead Sciences News. 2022-12-22. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  6. 1 2 Romero JR (February 2001). "Pleconaril: a novel antipicornaviral drug". Expert Opinion on Investigational Drugs. 10 (2): 369–79. doi:10.1517/13543784.10.2.369. PMID 11178348.
  7. ↑ Hayden FG, Herrington DT, Coats TL, Kim K, Cooper EC, Villano SA, et al. (June 2003). "Efficacy and safety of oral pleconaril for treatment of colds due to picornaviruses in adults: results of 2 double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trials". Clinical Infectious Diseases. 36 (12): 1523–1532. doi:10.1086/375069. PMC 7199898. PMID 12802751.
  8. 1 2 "GST-HG141, an innovative drug for the treatment of hepatitis B". Gelonghui. 2023-12-29. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  9. ↑ "Fujian Cosunter Pharmaceutical's new drug for hepatitis B, GST-HG141, publishes phase II results". Cailian Press. 2025-08-04. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  10. ↑ "Neracorvir". Synapse Patsnap. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
  11. ↑ "Canocapavir - Zhimeng Biopharma". AdisInsight. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
  12. ↑ Clinical trial number NCT07095855 for "A Phase III Study to Evaluate the Efficacy and Safety of ZM-H1505R in Patients With CHB" at ClinicalTrials.gov
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