The Use of Supersaturation for the Vaginal Application of Microbicides: A Case Study with Dapivirine

Cyclodextrins in the antiviral therapy

The main antiviral drug-cyclodextrin interactions, changes in physicochemical and physiological properties of the most commonly used virucides are summarized. The potential complexation of antiviral molecules against the SARS-Cov2 also pointed out the lack of detailed information in designing effective and general medicines against viral infections. The principal problem of the current molecules is the 3D structures of the currently active compounds. Improving the solubility or bioavailability of antiviral molecules is possible, however, there is no universal solution, and the complexation experiments dominantly use the already approved cyclodextrin derivatives. This review discusses the basic properties of the different cyclodextrin derivatives, their potential in antiviral formulations, and the prevention and treatment of viral infections. The biologically active new cyclodextrin derivatives are also discussed.

Will dapivirine redeem the promises of anti-HIV microbicides? Overview of product design and clinical testing

Microbicides are being developed in order to prevent sexual transmission of HIV. Dapivirine, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, is one of the leading drug candidates in the field, currently being tested in various dosage forms, namely vaginal rings, gels, and films. In particular, a ring allowing sustained drug release for 1month is in an advanced stage of clinical testing. Two parallel phase III clinical trials are underway in sub-Saharan Africa and results are expected to be released in early 2016. This article overviews the development of dapivirine and its multiple products as potential microbicides, with particular emphasis being placed on clinical evaluation. Also, critical aspects regarding regulatory approval, manufacturing, distribution, and access are discussed.

Novel diarylpyrimidines and diaryltriazines as potent HIV-1 NNRTIs with dramatically improved solubility: a patent evaluation of US20140378443A1

Diarylpyrimidine and diaryltriazine derivatives, two representative structurally related classes of HIV-1 non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) with robust potencies against wild-type and several mutant strains of HIV-1, have attracted more and more attention in the last decade. However, they have been suffering from poor aqueous solubility. A series of novel diarylpyrimidines and diaryltriazines with solubilizing substituents attached to the central rings were reported as potent NNRTIs in the patent US20140378443A1. Some compounds exhibited potencies against wild-type HIV-1 which were comparable or even superior to those of dapivirine, etravirine and rilpivirine. In addition, dramatically enhanced solubilities were observed for these new compounds. Moreover, some structure optimization strategies for improving aqueous solubility are detailed in this review, providing new insights into development of next-generation NNRTIs endowed with favorable solubility. We anticipate that application of these strategies will ultimately lead to discovery of new anti-HIV drug candidates.