Abstract
• A total of over 190,000 SCIE-indexed research papers focusing on viral vaccines and antiviral drugs were systematically retrieved for the period 2000–2024. • Article counts show a steady annual growth with a significant surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, although research on vaccines and antivirals declined in proportion during this period. • We analyzed the research dynamics of the vaccine and antiviral subfields, identified 43 major focus viruses, and explored their research priorities among the top 10 countries.