Protease inhibitor (pharmacology)

Protease inhibitors (PIs) are medications that act by interfering with enzymes that cleave proteins.

[4] Most ARPIs are peptide-like molecules which resemble the substrate of the viral protease.

The first members of this class, saquinavir, ritonavir, and indinavir, were approved in late 1995–1996.

A drug combination targeting SARS-CoV-2, Paxlovid, was approved in December 2021 to treat COVID-19.

[13] Protease inhibitors can cause a syndrome of lipodystrophy, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus type 2, and kidney stones.

The number of people in the U.S. dying of HIV fell by 60% in the 2 years following the introduction of the first HIV protease inhibitors
The number of people in the U.S. dying of HIV fell by 60% in the 2 years following the introduction of the first HIV protease inhibitors