[The HIV proteinase--a target for antiviral agents]

The enormous resources spent on developing inhibitors of the HIV proteinase is finally proving worth while. The FDA in the USA approved saquinavir (Invirase, Roche) for treatment of AIDS in December 1995, and the presumably even more useful inhibitors, ritonavir (Norvir, Abbott) and indinavir (Crixivan, Merck) in March 1996. The clinical trials indicate that these substances are more efficient antiviral agents than the well known reverse transcriptase inhibitors (e.g., AZT or ddC). In the present article, the function of the HIV proteinase will be discussed, as well as the drug design strategies leading to the success. We believe that the combination of biotechnology and computer modelling is a potent tool for designing drugs, and that these proteinase inhibitors not only signal optimism in the treatment of AIDS, but also a new era in the development of therapeutics.