Although no licensed anti-JE drugs are currently available, recent progress in understanding viral replication and immune evasion has identified new targets for future multiple-drug formulations.
This review highlights the urgent need for effective anti-JE drugs and suggests that future treatments may require multiple-drug formulations and targeted CNS delivery.
INTRODUCTION: Japanese encephalitis (JE) remains a public health threat in Asia. Although several vaccines have been licensed, ∼ 67,900 cases of the disease are estimated to occur annually, probably because the vaccine coverage is low. Therefore, effective antiviral drugs are required to control JE. However, no licensed anti-JE drugs are available, despite extensive efforts to develop them. AREAS COVERED: We provide a general overview of JE and JE virus, including its transmission cycle, distribution, structure, replication machinery, immune evasion mechanisms and vaccines. The current situation in antiviral drug development is then reviewed and future perspectives are discussed. EXPERT OPINION: Although the development of effective anti-JE drugs is an urgent issue, only supportive care is currently available. Recent progress in our understanding of the viral replication machinery and immune evasion strategies has identified new targets for anti-JE drug development. To date, most candidate drugs have only been evaluated in single-drug formulations, and efficient drug delivery to the CNS has virtually not been considered. However, an effective anti-JE treatment is expected to be achieved with multiple-drug formulations and a targeted drug delivery system in the near future.
Ishikawa et al. (Thu,) conducted a review in Japanese encephalitis. Antiviral drugs was evaluated. Although no licensed anti-JE drugs are currently available, recent progress in understanding viral replication and immune evasion has identified new targets for future multiple-drug formulations.