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The following post was written and/or published as a collaboration between Benzinga’s in-house sponsored content team and a financial partner of Benzinga.

Since the coronavirus pandemic started, scientists have worked to develop a vaccine to inoculate the population and stop the spread of COVID-19. The good news is they succeeded in producing multiple vaccines — in the U.S. Pfizer (NYSE: PFE), Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ), and Moderna (NASDAQ: MRNA) — that create antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 in humans to prevent infection. The bad news is that no vaccine is 100% effective, and breakthrough cases do happen, especially as variants continue to emerge.

Not only that, but parts of the population cannot get the vaccine because of other health factors or age, and they may remain vulnerable to the virus. And that’s not considering individuals who refuse the vaccine.

If the world hopes to return to normal, the pandemic’s end has to include a treatment plan to help those who catch the coronavirus. Fortunately, the scientific community is no stranger to antivirals, as they exist in society today.

The Role of Antivirals

Antivirals are essential in the medical field to help society fend off harmful viruses and lower the risk of spreading sickness to others. For example, if a person had access to an antiviral to fight off the coronavirus, the chances of the virus developing into severe or life-threatening COVID-19 would be negligible.

Some examples of antivirals that currently exist fight off herpes, RSV, Ebola, human immunodeficiency virus, coronaviruses, and influenza A. Most of them work by blocking viral or cellular enzymes inside cells so that the reproduction of new viruses is blocked. Some of them, antibodies and “entry inhibitors,” work by binding to either the virus or its receptor on the outside surface of the cell so that the virus cannot bind to its entry receptor and thus cannot enter the cell in the first place. Antivirals also may boost the immune system and reduce the number of active viruses within the human body.

The only fully approved antiviral agent shown to have any effectiveness in stopping SARS-CoV-2 is remdesivir by Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD). This drug works as an RNA polymerase inhibitor. The problem with the drug is that it metabolizes quickly inside the body, and increasing the dosage can be toxic to humans. So, NanoViricides, Inc. (NYSE: NNVC), a global leader in nanomedicine drug development, created a complementary formulation to increase the effectiveness of remdesivir. This discovery could be the key to finally winning the battle against COVID-19 worldwide.