Ribavirin is an antiviral drug that is a synthetic nucleoside that inhibits many DNA and RNA viruses and its mechanism is
unclear. The US Food and Drug
Administration only permits the treatment of hepatitis C, human respiratory fusion virus, and certain haemorrhagic fever
with long-acting interferon therapy.
Ribavirin was synthesized by Joseph T. Witkowski, an ICN pharmaceutical company in 1970. FDA clearly pointed out
that ribavirin is not suitable for the
treatment of influenza, and strict indications, and the abuse of ribavirin to treat a variety of viral infections in China is
very common.