[Development of methodology for predictably significant evaluation of the protective efficacy of antiviral agents]

The paper provides a theoretical analysis for determining whether the antiviral nonspecific drugs being tested are promising to solve biosafety problems in the treatment of exotic viral infections. The essence of the proposed concept of evaluation of protective effectiveness is to analyze the effect of a test drug on the pathogenesis of experimental infection from the fact that it is effective in adequately eliminating the animal-simulated leading syndrome of human disease. The given approaches to using adequacy criteria to select the species of animals meeting the goals of tests in terms of pathogenetic and pharmacological parameters determine a new methodology for evaluating the efficacy of protective agents. Basic requirements for a testing procedure are presented. The prognostic value of evaluation of the protective efficacy of antiviral agents for man will depend on the approximation of the pathogenetic features and external manifestation of disease in the selected animal species to human Infection. The paper also covers the comparative characteristics of the course of Ebola fever and Venezuelan equine encephalomyelitis in man and some species of monkey.