Available for licensing and commercial development is a method of inhibiting SARS-CoV replication, propagation and transmission using 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9-dien-28-oic (CDDO). Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is an infectious atypical pneumonia that has recently been recognized in patients in 32 countries and regions. The atypical pneumonia with unknown etiology was initially observed in Guangdong Province, China. This observation was followed by reports from Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada and Beijing of severe febrile respiratory illness that spread to household members and health care workers. This disease was later designated “severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)” by the World Health Organization (WHO). Until May 19, 2003, a cumulative total of 7,864 SARS cases were reported to WHO from 29 countries. A total of 643 deaths (case-fatality proportion: 8.2 %) were reported.