Zanamivir is used in the treatment of the infections that is caused via influenza B as well as influenza A viruses. It is the inhibitor of neuraminidase and lowers the risk of getting symptomatic. It cannot lower the risk of asymptomatic influenza and is a type of inhaled drug.
Zanamivir is prescribed to the patients suffering from influenza and swine flu. The chemical formula for Zanamivir is C12H20N4O7. Many new inhibitors that are based on the non-carbohydrate template are being synthesized. The positioning of double bond inside the inhibitor closely resembles to the substrate as well as replacing the side chain of glycerol.
The replacement is based on the lipophilic group of the hydrophobic backbone of glycerol interacting with those proteins, which lead to the discovery of cyclohexene based 3-pentyl ether. Oseltamivir is the prodrug and gets converted to its active form in vivo.