COVID-19: Therapeutics and Their Toxicities

Area of Science:

• Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacology
• Cardiology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, lacks a standard treatment.
• Clinicians must be aware of potential toxicities associated with repurposed or novel COVID-19 therapeutics.
• Regulatory bodies like the FDA have issued emergency use authorizations for certain drugs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the proposed therapeutic agents for COVID-19.
• To elucidate the mechanism of action for these agents.
• To detail the potential toxicities and adverse effects of these proposed treatments.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of proposed COVID-19 therapeutics.
• Analysis of drug mechanisms and clinical trial data.
• Examination of reported adverse events and toxicity profiles.

Main Results:

• Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine may cause ventricular dysrhythmias, requiring cardiac and electrolyte monitoring.
• Recombinant protein therapeutics can lead to serum sickness or immune complex deposition.
• Nucleic acid vaccines carry a theoretical risk of human genome mutation; ACE inhibitors and ibuprofen may worsen COVID-19.

Conclusions:

• Careful consideration of potential adverse effects is crucial when selecting COVID-19 treatments.
• Monitoring for cardiac and electrolyte disturbances is vital for patients receiving chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine.
• Further research is needed to fully understand the safety profiles of all emerging COVID-19 therapies.