One of the lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic is that the world must up its game on antivirals. The next time a pandemic threat emerges, we need better tools readily available to deploy—compounds that can address a broad spectrum of viruses and have already been through safety studies.

Meanwhile, there is still work to do to address long-known acute illnesses, such as those caused by Ebola or respiratory syncytial virus—one of the most common causes of respiratory infections in children. And people with chronic infections from viruses such as HIV or hepatitis B would benefit from less onerous treatment regimens, if not cures.

Inside this Discovery Report, you’ll meet the scientists developing libraries of compounds to meet the next pandemic threat, read about efforts to streamline clinical trials, learn what’s needed to ensure global access to antivirals, and more.