Table 3.

Novel drugs have been approved or being developed for the treatment of HCMV infections.

Drug	Structure	Mechanism	Main Side Effects	Current Status	Reference
Letermovir	A non-nucleoside, 3,4-dihydroquinazolinyl acetic acid	Viral terminase complex inhibitor encoded by gene UL56, UL51, UL89	Nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, swelling in arms and legs, cough, headache, tiredness, hepatitis, stomach pain	Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) in 2017	[71,72,73,74,75,76]
Maribavir	A benzimidazole riboside	Viral protein kinase (UL97) inhibitor	Taste disturbance, nausea, diarrhea, vomiting and fatigue	Approved by USA FDA in 2021	[77,78,79,80]
Brincidofovir	An alkoxyalkyl ester prodrug containing the synthetic, acyclic nucleoside monophosphate analog cidofovir	Viral UL54 DNA polymerase inhibitor	Diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and abdominal pain and others (under study)	Under clinical trial	[76,81,82,83]
Filociclovir	A guanosine nucleoside analog	Viral UL54 DNA polymerase and the UL97 kinase inhibitor	Mild to extreme stomach upset, headaches, mild fever and others (under study)	Under clinical trial	[84,85,86]
Valnoctamide	A structural isomer of valpromide, a valproic acid prodrug	Inhibition of viral attachment to the host cell	Sommolence, the slight motor impairments and others (under study)	Under study	[87,88]