Abstract
How to cite this article: Bansal T. Antiviral Drugs for Viral Pneumonia. Indian J Crit Care Med 2023;27(8):600.
Keywords: Acute respiratory distress syndrome, Treatment, Viral pneumonia
In their article in the MAY issue of this journal:
Adenovirus-associated Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS): Need for a Protocol-based Approach. Rishik Vashisht, Saeid Mirzai, Christine Koval, Abhijit Duggal. Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(5):367–368.
Have described a small case series of adenovirus pneumonia managed with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) protocol. However, there has been no mention of the use of antivirals.
Though large-scale trials are lacking for most viral pneumonias, there has been successful use of antivirals for different viruses described in the literature. In fact for adenovirus, cidofovir is recommended and there was a recent publication in NEJM1 regarding the same of successful use.
With the increased diagnosis of viral pneumonias with the availability of PCR, viral pneumonias are supposed to cause 20% of CAP is coming to the ICU.
Hence, it would be worthwhile to be aware of the antivirals available and worth trying for different pneumonias as some lives may be saved- ‘’ A stitch in time saves nine “(Table 1).
Table 1.
| Virus | Antiviral drug |
|---|---|
| RSV | Ribavirin |
| MPV | |
| Enterovirus | |
| Rhinovirus | |
| Hantavirus | |
| Parainfluenza | |
| Measles | |
| Adenovirus | Cidofovir, Foscarnet |
| HSV, varicella zoster | Acyclovir, Foscarnet |
| CMV | Ganciclovir, Foscarnet, Valganciclovir |
| Influenza | Oseltamivir, other NA Inhibitors, Amantadine, Baloxavir |
| Coronavirus | Remdesivir, Nirmatrelvir-ritonavir, Molnupiravir |
Orcid
Tapesh Bansal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3812-6931
Footnotes
Source of support: Nil
Conflict of interest: None
References
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