Drug Innovation
Emory’s commitment to drug discovery stretches back three decades.
At that time, a new virus—eventually termed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—began claiming lives with sobering efficiency.
Among scientists the world over wanting to make a difference, three Emory researchers did.
The collaboration of Dennis Liotta, Raymond Schinazi, and Woo-Baeg Choi eventually yielded Emtriva and Epivir, which are components of a number of combination therapies used to treat HIV. More than 90 percent of US patients take drug combinations that include one or the other.
Other life-enhancing drugs—Baricitinib to battle COVID-19, Belatacept to aid successful kidney transplant, Obizur to treat bleeding episodes in adults with acquired hemophilia, ERDRP-0519 to target the measles morbillivirus, and Telbivudine to treat hepatitis B—were developed here at Emory.
Read about Emory drug hunters’ journey to discovery