Asterivir is a spin-out from the EPFL lab of Prof. Francesco Stellacci, licensing patents on broad-spectrum antivirals invented well before the emergence of SARS-CoV-2. Molecules employ a novel mechanism of action that renders circulating virions uninfective, showing superiority over oseltamivir (Tamiflu) in head-to-head comparisons in mice. Besides H1N1, the technology has also proven to be effective in-vivo against RSV, HSV-2 and most recently SARS-CoV-2.