Fig. 4. Nirmatrelvir in complex with SARS-CoV-2 main protease.
The nitrile group of nirmatrelvir (shown in green) reacts with Cys145 of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) main protease (shown in light blue) to form a covalent thioimidate adduct. Extensive hydrogen-bond interactions (yellow dashed lines) occur throughout the pocket (PDB ID: 7RFW)103.