Pharmacological innovation and clinical value of VV116

In their Comment, Robert L Gottlieb and Roger Paredes stated "deuteration is merely an artistic flourish, inconsequential to antiviral pharmacology. The drug would have the same effect regardless of deuteration."1 This perspective, we argue, overlooks the importance of deuteration in the context of VV116. Herein, we aim to elucidate the development of VV116 while emphasising the clinical advantages conferred by its strategic deuteration.