a drug effective against viruses that cause disease. Antiviral drugs include DNA polymerase inhibitor (e.g. aciclovir, foscarnet, ganciclovir), idoxuridine and ribavirin (nucleoside analogues), amantadine, and zanamivir; they are used for treating herpes, cytomegalovirus and respiratory syncytial virus infections, and influenza. Antiviral drugs for treating HIV infection and AIDS are reverse transcriptase inhibitors (e.g. didanosine, zidovudine) and protease inhibitor.
Medical dictionary. 2011.