Influenza virus neuraminidase (NA) catalyses the cleavage of sialic acid residues terminally linked to glycoproteins and glycolipids and plays an important role in the replication of the virus. Recently, several potent NA inhibitors have been synthesized based on the rational design of mimicking the transition state of the sialic acid cleavage. Zanamivir and oseltamivir (GS 4104, the prodrug of GS 4071) have emerged as promising influenza NA inhibitors for the treatment and prophylaxis of human influenza virus infection. This review describes the recent work toward the discovery and development of influenza NA inhibitors.
