HIV and Influenza drugs ineffective against COVID-19 As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage for a second year, another pandemic has managed to persist for over three decades and has continued to claim thousands of lives a year—the Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Presenting results that can advance the treatment of HIV, scientists have created molecules that prevent the virus from invading immune cells. In a study led by researchers from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), researchers have reported the development of small molecules known as 'CD4 mimic' that can trick the HIV virus from attaching itself to the surface of immune cells.