INTREPID Alliance deep dive report summarizing the AViDD Centers antiviral landscape
The INTREPID Alliance antiviral development landscape is a comprehensive assessment of publicly disclosed antiviral compounds in clinical and preclinical development targeting 14 priority viruses with pandemic potential. This landscape analysis supports the G7's 100 Days Mission, which aims to develop at least two Phase 2-ready therapeutic candidates against viral pathogen families of greatest pandemic risk. The landscape includes analysis of publicly available antiviral pipelines, identifying clinical-stage and preclinical compounds aligned with global preparedness goals, and highlighting gaps in the antiviral drug development pipeline. This initiative emphasizes the importance of direct-acting antivirals and calls for increased investment in antiviral R&D in support of pandemic preparedness efforts. The INTREPID Alliance regularly updates this landscape to provide an open-access resource to help catalyze drug discovery for priority viruses of pandemic and endemic concern. In coordination with the 5th Edition Landscape release, a deeper analysis of the compounds originating from the AViDD Center initiative was conducted.
In May 2022, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) made a significant investment in pandemic preparedness by awarding $577 million to establish nine Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Centers for Pathogens of Pandemic Concern. This investment was part of the broader $3.2 billion Antiviral Program for Pandemics (APP), a high-priority initiative aimed at accelerating the development of COVID-19 therapeutics.
Originally created as a five-year drug discovery project investment totaling $1.2 billion in funding, the AViDD Centers were initially allocated $577 million for the first three years starting in May 2022. However, the remaining funds earmarked for years four and five were later redirected in 2025 to support urgent COVID-19 vaccination campaigns and treatment efforts. Each center received between $52 million and $69 million in grants over the three-year period.
The AViDD Centers comprised well-established academic research institutions together with industry or commercial partners focused on developing direct-acting antiviral therapies for COVID-19 and viral families posing the risk of future viral outbreaks. By bringing together scientists from diverse areas of virology, these centers aimed to advance novel direct-acting antiviral compounds to clinical candidate status for viral diseases with pandemic potential (including paramyxoviruses, bunyaviruses, togaviruses, filoviruses, picornaviruses, and flaviviruses). While their scope was broad across multiple viral families, a central priority remained the development of innovative and effective antivirals specifically targeting COVID-19. In addition, a complementary goal was to stimulate early research efforts towards identifying novel targets and validating new mechanisms of action for antiviral interventions. Centers incorporated drug development expertise from industrial partners to help move discoveries from the lab into the pipeline for future real-world treatments against viral pathogens with pandemic potential.
A secondary objective of the AViDD initiative was the expansion of the antiviral discovery and research workforce. Centers implemented structured mentorship programs to support postdoctoral fellows and early career investigators, thereby increasing the availability of personnel trained in antiviral discovery. This emphasis on workforce development aligns with a program objective to expand the scope and range of research, investigators, and institutions involved in antiviral drug discovery.
To assess the impact of the AViDD investment, a landscape of the AViDD Centers’ antiviral discovery outputs from May 2022 through September 2025 was created, drawing on publicly available information and direct communication with Center members. The analysis mirrors the INTREPID Alliance antiviral landscape framework, organizing compounds by viral family, disease indication, development stage, and mechanism of action. Importantly, the dataset excludes compounds originating from commercial or industry partners and acknowledges that many compounds were confidential or undisclosed when the landscape was completed. Therefore, the landscape summary presented here is only a snapshot of the publicly disclosed results through September 2025, and it is anticipated that many more compounds will be disclosed over time.
The AViDD Center model demonstrated measurable productivity within an approximate three year drug discovery timeframe. Across the nine Centers, the analysis identified 21 antiviral compounds, comprising 20 preclinical candidates and one clinical stage compound that had initiated Phase 1 evaluation. Notably, outputs were disproportionately weighted toward SARS CoV 2 antivirals (13/21; 62%), consistent with program objectives. Despite this concentration of resources toward SARS-CoV-2, the Centers successfully generated candidates across six other viral families with pandemic potential.
The majority of preclinical compounds were positioned at hit identification or lead optimization stages, reflecting early discovery pipeline maturation and consistent with the program’s timeline. Innovation and diversity in mechanism of action were also evident in the analysis. Beyond SARS CoV 2 main protease inhibitors and nucleoside analogs, the Centers reported 13 compounds with alternative mechanisms of action.
Beyond the antiviral compound output, the AViDD initiative expanded the antiviral discovery and research network. Centers implemented mentorship programs to support postdoctoral fellows and early career investigators, helping to cultivate the next generation of antiviral drug discovery scientists. This investment in human capital is a critical component of long term pandemic preparedness and reflects the program’s broader goal of expanding the scope and range of research, investigators, and institutions involved in antiviral drug development.
The AViDD Centers represent a foundational effort to strengthen antiviral discovery capabilities. Through substantial federal investment, interdisciplinary collaboration, and targeted workforce development, the program has established a diversified pipeline of antiviral candidates and expanded the scientific infrastructure necessary for future antiviral drug development. Continued support will be essential to translate these early discoveries into clinically deployable therapeutics and to maintain preparedness for future pandemics.
1- Gopalkrishnan S PhD. From labs to legislation: The interplay between academic research and political realities. SLAS Discov. 2024 Sep;29(6):100175. doi: 10.1016/j.slasd.2024.100175. Epub 2024 Aug 8. PMID: 39117279.
2- NIAID Grant Funding Opportunity Announcement: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-21-050.html.
3- NIAID Press Release on May 18, 2022: https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/niaid-announces-antiviral-drug-development-awards.
Disclaimer
The INTREPID Alliance is a not-for-profit consortium of innovative biopharmaceutical companies and affiliates committed to accelerating antiviral research, aiming to ensure that we have a stronger pipeline and are better prepared for future pandemics.
As part of our efforts, the INTREPID Alliance maintains and publishes a centralized list of promising investigational candidate compounds, with the purpose of knowledge-sharing and to support better pandemic preparedness. These compounds have been selected based on objective, scientific criteria, using publicly available sources, and at arm’s length from commercial influence of our member companies. See criteria listed in the report “Antiviral Clinical Development Landscape and Promising Clinical Compounds.” The designation of certain compounds as promising is based upon currently available information, and exclusively upon an assessment against these criteria. “Promising” is not a promotional claim. Candidate compounds have not been assessed by regulatory authorities to be safe and efficacious for the treatment of disease in humans. Our content is designed to be factual, informative, and non-commercial. It is not designed or intended to advertise or promote any pharmaceutical product or therapy or to advance the commercial interests of any company.