How do antiviral medications work? Why don't they also kill host cells?

Question

anonymous · Answer

antivirals constituent many different drugs, with different mechanisms. the idea is simple - strike in sites specific for viruses:
acyclovir - for herpes takes advantage of the fact the viruses utilize a different thymidine kinase (for connecting the T's to the DNA) - thus it does not affect (or has a minimal effect on human cells)
the medications for flu amantidine and tamiflu utilize knowldege from some cool basic science about the life cycle of the flu and how it exits one cell to infect the next. they target to viral proteins - neuroaminidase and haemaglutinin (i dont remeber which is which) thus ceippling its infectivity
same ideas for haart - hihgly active antiretrovirals therapies for hiv - once again - learn te viruses - isolate where it differs and hit there where it hurts (important to the virus)