Orthoflaviviral Inhibitors in Clinical Trials, Preclinical In Vivo Efficacy Targeting NS2B-NS3 and Cellular Antiviral Activity Via Competitive Protease Inhibition

Orthoflaviviruses, including zika (ZIKV), West Nile (WNV), and dengue (DENV) virus, induce severely debilitating infections and contribute significantly to the global disease burden, yet no clinically approved antiviral treatments exist. This review offers a comprehensive analysis of small-molecule drug development targeting orthoflaviviral infections, with a focus on NS2B-NS3 inhibition. We systematically examined clinical trials, preclinical efficacy studies, and modes of action for various viral replication inhibitors, emphasizing allosteric and orthosteric drugs inhibiting NS2B-NS3 protease with in vivo efficacy and in vitro-tested competitive NS2B-NS3 inhibitors with cellular efficacy. Our findings revealed that several compounds with in vivo preclinical efficacy failed to show clinical antiviral efficacy. NS3-NS4B inhibitors, such as and , show promise, recently entering clinical trials, underscoring the importance of developing novel viral replication inhibitors targeting viral machinery. To date, the only NS2B-NS3 inhibitor that has undergone clinical trials is , however, its mechanism of action and clinical efficacy as viral growth inhibitor require additional investigation. , an allosteric inhibitor, exhibits high in vivo efficacy, while and represent promising orthosteric non-competitive inhibitors. , a competitive NS2B-NS3 inhibitor, emerges as a leading preclinical candidate due to its high cellular antiviral efficacy, minimal cytotoxicity, and favorable in vitro pharmacokinetic parameters. Challenges remain in developing competitive NS2B-NS3 inhibitors, including appropriate biochemical inhibition assays as well as the selectivity and conformational flexibility of the protease, complicating effective antiviral treatment design.