How Do COVID-19 Antiviral Drugs Work?

COVID-19 antiviral drugs work by preventing the coronavirus from replicating inside our cells. Currently, Remdesivir and Paxlovoid (Nirmatrelvir) are the only Food and Drug Administration-approved antiviral drugs for the treatment of COVID-19.

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How COVID-19 Antiviral Drugs Work

COVID-19 antiviral drugs work by slowing or halting the virus’s replication process. This stops the spread of the virus throughout your body, reduces disease severity, and allows your body to focus on recovering. Although antiviral drugs may not completely cure the infection, less virus in your body means you will have a less severe case and reduced risk of serious complications from COVID-19.

Antiviral drugs are an effective treatment for COVID-19 but do not replace the role of vaccines. There are two types of antiviral drugs: antiviral pills and antiviral therapy. Antiviral pills are taken by mouth and antiviral therapy is administered via an intravenous (IV) infusion by a healthcare provider. 

Each antiviral drug works a little bit differently in the body and poses different risks to patients. The three general ways antiviral drugs work are:

• Block receptors so viruses can’t bind to and enter healthy cells
• Boost the immune system, helping it fight off a viral infection
• Lower the viral load (amount of active virus) in the body

For this reason, it is necessary to understand the role of antiviral medications in treating

mild, moderate, severe, and critical illness in order to optimize treatment for people with COVID-19.