List of antivirals: Uses, common brands, and safety information

Antiviral medications may be used to treat certain types of viral infections, although not all viral infections have an antiviral treatment. Antivirals are not the same as antibiotics. Antibiotics are used to treat certain types of bacterial infections, and they do not work on viral infections such as the flu or COVID-19. This article will provide an overview of antivirals. The table below lists some common antiviral medicines. All antivirals are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

What are antivirals?

According to the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, antivirals are a type of drug used to treat viral infections. They work against specific types of viruses by stopping them from replicating or working. An antiviral may help alleviate symptoms, shorten illness, reduce the severity of illness, and can lower the risk of getting or spreading certain types of viruses.

How do antivirals work?

There are many different antivirals, and while the way each one works is specific to the drug, some general ways they work include:

• Preventing the virus from getting into cells

• Stopping the virus from reproducing

• Stopping the virus from making proteins that it needs to survive

• Preventing the virus from making new viral particles

• Preventing the virus from leaving infected cells 

What are antivirals used for?

Antivirals can treat various types of viral infections, including, but not limited to:

• COVID-19

• Flu (influenza)

• Hepatitis B 

• Hepatitis C

• Herpes viruses

• HIV

Types of antivirals 

Below is an overview of some common types of antivirals according to the type of viral infection they are used to treat.

COVID-19

To be effective, antiviral treatment for coronavirus (COVID-19) should start within 5 to 7 days of symptom onset. Some people are at increased risk of severe illness, such as older adults, people who are not vaccinated (or are not up to date on COVID-19 immunizations), and people with certain medical conditions, such as certain heart or lung problems or a weakened immune system. It is important to stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations, which you can typically get from your primary care provider or another healthcare provider, pharmacist, or local health clinic. Doing so reduces your risk of serious, life-threatening illness, hospitalization, and death. 

Antiviral medications for COVID-19:

• Paxlovid 

• Veklury

• Lagevrio

Flu

Antivirals for influenza viruses work best when started within one or two days after symptoms appear. These medications can alleviate symptoms, shorten your illness by about one day, and possibly help reduce flu complications. These medicines do not prevent the flu, though—the best way to prevent the flu is by getting the flu vaccine. 

Antiviral drugs for the flu:

• Tamiflu

• Relenza

• Rapivab

• Xofluza

Hepatitis B and C

Hepatitis is a liver disease characterized by inflammation. The most common types of hepatitis are hepatitis B and C, and either one can cause acute or chronic illness. It is possible to have both hepatitis B and C at the same time.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is very contagious and can be transmitted through sex, shared drug supplies (like needles and syringes), or blood transfusions. There is a vaccine to prevent HBV. If you do get HBV, there are drugs that control the virus and prevent it from causing damage or infecting others. Oral antiviral drugs used for HBV include:

• Baraclude (entecavir)

• Lamivudine

• Vemlidy (tenofovir alafenamide)

• Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)

Injectable antivirals include:

• Pegasys (peginterferon alfa-2a)

• Intron A (interferon alfa-2b)

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is spread through infected blood, such as by sharing needles or syringes. There is no vaccine for HCV, but in more than 95% of cases, the virus can be cured with 8 to 12 weeks of medicine. Oral antiviral drugs used for HCV include:

• Epclusa (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir)

• Harvoni (sofosbuvir/ledipasvir)

• Mavyret (glecaprevir/pibrentasvir)

• Vosevi (sofosbuvir/velpatasvir/voxilaprevir)

• Zepatier (elbasvir/grazoprevir) 

Herpes

Herpes viruses cause various types of viral infections, including:

• Cold sores

• Genital herpes

• Chickenpox

• Shingles

• Mononucleosis

• Cytomegalovirus

• Roseola infantum

The treatment depends on the specific infection. There are oral, topical, and injectable treatment options. Examples of antivirals used for herpes infections include:

• Valtrex (valacyclovir) and famciclovir, which are oral medications

• Acyclovir, which is available in oral (tablets, capsules, liquid), topical (cream, ointment), buccal tablet (dissolves on the gums), and injectable forms

• Ganciclovir, which is available as an injection and an ophthalmic gel 

• Foscavir (foscarnet), which is an injection

• Denavir (penciclovir), which is a topical cream for cold sores

HIV

There are various situations where you may need preventive medicine or treatment for HIV. 

• Pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is for people who do not have HIV but are at higher risk of getting it. If you are taking PrEP medicine and are exposed to HIV, the medicine helps prevent the virus from establishing infection. 

• Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) is for people who may have been exposed to HIV in an emergency. PEP must be started within 72 hours after exposure to be effective. 

• If you are living with HIV, you will need a treatment called antiretroviral therapy (ART). ART is recommended for everyone with HIV and should start as soon as possible after diagnosis—even on the same day. ART involves taking a combination of HIV medicines, typically three HIV medicines from at least two different classes of HIV drugs. There are various options, including once-daily pills that combine two or three medicines. Long-acting injections are given every two months for those who meet certain requirements. Taking HIV medicine as prescribed reduces the amount of HIV in your blood (your viral load). Maintaining a very low viral load (viral suppression) keeps your immune system working properly and helps prevent you from getting sick. When your viral load is so low that it cannot be detected on a lab test, this is called having an undetectable viral load. Achieving and maintaining an undetectable viral load with ART is possible when medications are taken as prescribed over time. 

HIV medicines are listed below by category.

Nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs):

• Emtriva (emtricitabine)

• Epivir (lamivudine)

• Retrovir (zidovudine)

• Vemlidy (tenofovir alafenamide)

• Viread (tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)

• Ziagen (abacavir)

Non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs):

• Edurant (rilpivirine)

• Intelence (etravirine)

• Pifeltro (doravirine)

• Sustiva (efavirenz)

• Viramune, Viramune XR (nevirapine)

Protease inhibitors (PIs):

• Aptivus (tipranavir)

• Lexiva (fosamprenavir)

• Norvir (ritonavir)

• Prezista (darunavir)

• Reyataz (atazanavir)

Fusion inhibitor:

• Fuzeon (enfuvirtide)

CCR5 antagonist:

• Selzentry (maraviroc)

Integrase strand transfer inhibitors (INSTIs):

• Isentress, Isentress HD (raltegravir)

• Tivicay (dolutegravir)

• Vocabria (cabotegravir)

Attachment inhibitor:

• Rukobia (fostemsavir)

Post-attachment inhibitor:

• Trogarzo (ibalizumab-uiyk)

Capsid inhibitor:

• Sunlenca (lenacapavir)

Pharmacokinetic enhancer:

• Tybost (cobicistat)

Combination HIV medications:

• Atripla (efavirenz/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)

• Biktarvy (bictegravir/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide)

• Cabenuva (cabotegravir/rilpivirine)

• Cimduo (lamivudine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)

• Combivir (lamivudine/zidovudine)

• Complera (emtricitabine/rilpivirine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)

• Delstrigo (doravirine/lamivudine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)

• Descovy (emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide)

• Dovato (dolutegravir/lamivudine)

• Epzicom (abacavir/lamivudine)

• Evotaz (atazanavir/cobicistat)

• Genvoya (elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide)

• Juluca (dolutegravir/rilpivirine)

• Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir)

• Odefsey (emtricitabine/rilpivirine/tenofovir alafenamide)

• Prezcobix (darunavir/cobicistat)

• Stribild (elvitegravir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)

• Symfi, Symfi Lo (efavirenz/lamivudine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)

• Symtuza (darunavir/cobicistat/emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide)

• Triumeq, Triumeq PD (abacavir/dolutegravir/lamivudine)

• Trizivir (abacavir/lamivudine/zidovudine)

• Truvada (emtricitabine/tenofovir disoproxil fumarate)

Common antiviral side effects

Side effects of antivirals vary, depending on which medication you are taking. According to the Cleveland Clinic, these are some of the common side effects of antivirals. You can ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist for more information about the specific antiviral you are taking. 

• Cough 

• Dry mouth 

• Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea

• Dizziness

• Tiredness

• Headache 

• Trouble sleeping

• Joint or muscle pain 

• Rash 

How much do antivirals cost?

The cost of antivirals varies widely. Antivirals are often covered by insurance or Medicare prescription plans. You can contact your specific insurance plan for more information about coverage and costs. However, antiviral treatments for chronic conditions like HIV and hepatitis B and C tend to be significantly more expensive, often costing thousands of dollars per month without insurance. If you do not have insurance, or your insurance does not provide enough coverage, you can always use a free SingleCare discount to save money on the cost of your antiviral prescription. For example, a prescription for Tamiflu without insurance costs about $207, but if you fill your prescription for generic oseltamivir and apply a SingleCare discount, you could pay as low as $16.

Sources

• Overview of viral infections, Merck Manual (2025)

• What is an antiviral? National Foundation for Infectious Diseases (2024)

• Antivirals, Cleveland Clinic (2024)

• Types of COVID-19 treatment, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC; 2025)

• Paxlovid, DailyMed (2025)

• Veklury, DailyMed (2024)

• Lagevrio, DailyMed (2024)

• Treating flu with antiviral drugs, CDC (2024)

• Tamiflu, DailyMed (2025)

• Relenza, DailyMed (2023)

• Rapivab, DailyMed (2024)

• Xofluza, DailyMed (2024)

• What is the difference between hepatitis C and hepatitis B?, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (2024)

• Patient education: Hepatitis B (beyond the basics), UpToDate (2025)

• Hepatitis C, World Health Organization (2024)

• Clinical care of hepatitis C, CDC (2025)

• Hepatitis C medications: An overview for patients, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (2020)

• Overview of herpesvirus infections, Merck Manual (2023)

• HIV: PrEP and PEP, MedlinePlus (2024)

• HIV treatment overview, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (2023)

• All FDA-approved HIV medications, with brand names and abbreviations, New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute (2025)