Great pioneers of nucleic acid chemistry had elucidated nucleic acid functions and structures and developed various antiviral modified nucleoside drugs. It is possible in theory that antiviral modified nucleosides prevent viral replication by inhibiting viral polymerases. However, biological phenomena far exceed our predictions at times. We describe the characteristics of the approved antiviral modified nucleosides from an organic chemistry perspective. Also, based on our experiences and findings through the development of the HIV-1 reverse-transcriptase inhibitor "Islatravir", we provide the practical and approximate guidelines for the drug development of antiviral modified nucleosides against COVID-19.
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