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Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
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Old and re-purposed drugs for the treatment of COVID-19

Shio-Shin Jean1,2, Po-Ren Hsueh3,4

  • 1Department of Emergency, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University , Taipei, Taiwan.

Expert Review of Anti-Infective Therapy
|May 19, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Repurposed drugs like remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine show potential for treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) based on in vitro studies. Further clinical trials are needed to confirm their efficacy and safety for patients with moderate-to-severe COVID-19.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Pharmacology
  • Infectious Diseases

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by SARS-CoV-2, has led to significant global mortality.
  • No definitive medical therapy is currently established beyond supportive care for COVID-19.
  • Repurposing existing drugs offers a potential strategy for rapid therapeutic development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing drugs with demonstrated in vitro efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.
  • To assess the safety, adverse effects, and clinical feasibility of these repurposed drugs.
  • To provide recommendations for potential COVID-19 treatments based on available evidence and expert opinion.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of in vitro studies on drug efficacy against SARS-CoV-2.
  • Analysis of drug databases for adverse effects and toxicity profiles.
  • Consultation of US National Institutes of Health (NIH) opinions on drug repurposing for COVID-19.

Main Results:

  • Several drugs, including remdesivir, teicoplanin, hydroxychloroquine (without azithromycin), and ivermectin, exhibit in vitro antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2.
  • Tocilizumab is identified as a potential supplementary treatment for COVID-19 patients experiencing cytokine release syndrome.
  • Evidence from randomized controlled trials for COVID-19 therapies is currently limited.

Conclusions:

  • Repurposed drugs such as remdesivir, teicoplanin, hydroxychloroquine, and ivermectin are promising candidates for SARS-CoV-2 treatment.
  • Tocilizumab may be beneficial as an adjunctive therapy for cytokine release syndrome in COVID-19.
  • Future research should focus on well-designed clinical trials to evaluate combination therapies for moderate-to-severe COVID-19.

Keywords:
COVID-19RemdesivirSARS-COV-2favipiravirre-purposed

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