Pharmacologic Substance
antiviral agent
an·ti·vi·ral a·gent [ an-tee-vahy-ruhl, an-tahy- ey-juhnt ]
Subclass of:
Anti-Infective Agents
Definitions related to antiviral agents:
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(antiviral) Drugs used to treat infections caused by viruses.NCI Dictionary of Cancer TermsU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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(antiviral) Substances that kill or inhibit the growth or other functions of viruses, and that are used in the treatment of viral infections.NICHD Pediatric TerminologyU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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Any agent that can treat or prevent viral infections by interfering with the viral replication cycle.NCI ThesaurusU.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
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Drug that destroys viruses or prevents their growth or replication.CRISP ThesaurusNational Institutes of Health, 2006
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Agents used in the prophylaxis or therapy of VIRUS DISEASES. Some of the ways they may act include preventing viral replication by inhibiting viral DNA polymerase; binding to specific cell-surface receptors and inhibiting viral penetration or uncoating; inhibiting viral protein synthesis; or blocking late stages of virus assembly.NLM Medical Subject HeadingsU.S. National Library of Medicine, 2021
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Antiviral drug, any agent that is used in the treatment of an infectious disease caused by a virus. Viruses are responsible for illnesses such as HIV/AIDS, influenza, herpes simplex type I (cold sores of the mouth) and type II (genital herpes), herpes zoster (shingles), viral hepatitis...Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2020
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