Protease inhibitor (pharmacology)


 * For natural protease inhibitors, please see protease inhibitor (biology)

Protease inhibitors (PIs) are a class of medication used to treat or prevent infection by viruses, including HIV and Hepatitis C. PIs prevent viral replication by inhibiting the activity of HIV-1 protease, an enzyme used by the viruses to cleave nascent proteins for final assembly of new virons.

Protease inhibitors have been developed or are presently undergoing testing for treating various viruses:
 * HIV/AIDS: antiretroviral protease inhibitors (saquinavir, ritonavir, indinavir, nelfinavir etc.)
 * Hepatitis C: experimental agents: BILN 2061, VX 950.

Given the specificity of the target of these drugs there is the risk, as in antibiotics, of the development of drug-resistant mutated viruses. To reduce this risk it is common to use together different drugs aimed at different targets.

Antiretrovirals
Protease inhibitors were the second class of antiretroviral drugs developed. In all cases, patents remain in force until 2010 or beyond.

Antiprotozoal Activity
Researchers are investigating the use of protease inhibitors developed for HIV treatment as anti-protozoals for use against malaria and gastrointestinal protozoal infections:


 * A combination of ritonavir and lopinavir was found to have some effectiveness against Giardia infection.
 * The drugs saquinavir, ritonavir, and lopinavir have been found to have anti-malarial properties.
 * A cysteine protease inhibitor drug was found to cure Chagas disease in mice.