Inhibitors of the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion protein block entry of the virus into the cell and have shown varying efficacy in a human challenge model of RSV disease. Trials in patient populations are yet to show significant benefits. Jonckers et al. ( J. Med. Chem. 2020, DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c00226) describe the discovery of JNJ-53718678 which can now claim the leading position in clinical evaluation. For RSV inhibitors, the current status of the clinical development of the compound is discussed.
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