Progress in studies on drugs and their target points against respiratory syncytial virus

The global burden of disease attributable to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) remains high, especially in children younger than 2 years old. At present, there are still no safe and effective vaccines and specific antiviral drugs available. Understanding the mechanism of virus infection in host cells can provide targets for the development of new anti-RSV drugs. In recent years, targeting fusion protein to prevent virus entry and targeting RNA-dependent RNA polymerase to inhibit virus replication have been hot spots in the research of RSV inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. In addition, more and more attention has been paid to the development of anti-RSV drugs targeting host factors. This article explains the pathogenesis of RSV. Moreover, the drug targets and its representative drugs are listed. Key words: Respiratory syncytial virus; Drug target; Virus inhibitors; Monoclonal antibodies