Question

Is it more difficult to make antiviral medicines than antibiotics? Why? Give reason for the same.

Answer 1

Hint:-Antiviral medicines and antibiotics act on the metabolic pathway or the mechanism of action of the virus and the bacteria respectively. The virus does not have its own mechanism of action and uses the host’s cell as their machinery.

Complete answer:
- Antiviral medicines are used to treat the infection caused by the virus and the antibiotics are used to treat the infection caused by the bacteria.
- These medicines work by blocking a few or all metabolic pathways of the organism that are necessary for them to survive in our body (host).
- Bacteria have their own metabolic pathway. So the antibiotics destroy it’s metabolic pathway and as a result the bacteria is unable to form it’s cell wall. Without the cell wall the bacteria cannot survive inside the host body.
- When a virus enters the host body it uses the host cell for it’s metabolism, so the antiviral medicines will work against the host cell.
- Hence, antiviral medicines are more difficult to make than antibiotics.

Note:- Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Unlike most antibiotics, antiviral drugs do not destroy their target pathogen; instead they inhibit its development. Most of the antiviral drugs now available are designed to help deal with HIV, Herpes virus , COVID-19, the hepatitis B and C viruses. The antiviral will work only when the virus will have it’s own metabolic pathway but when it enters the host cell, then it survives by using the host cell machinery.