Battling COVID-19: using old weapons for a new enemy.

Area of Science:

• Virology
• Infectious Diseases
• Pharmacology

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic necessitates urgent therapeutic strategies.
• Many investigational treatments for COVID-19 lack rigorous clinical evaluation.
• Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a significant global health threat.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review in-vitro and in-vivo efficacy of drugs against SARS-CoV-2.
• To assess the effectiveness of these drugs against related coronaviruses like SARS and MERS.
• To evaluate the potential for repurposing existing drugs in COVID-19 management.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search for relevant studies.
• Analysis of in-vitro antiviral activity data.
• Evaluation of in-vivo preclinical and clinical data for efficacy and safety.

Main Results:

• Summarized efficacy data for various drug candidates.
• Identified drugs with promising activity against SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses.
• Highlighted gaps in evidence, particularly from randomized controlled trials.

Conclusions:

• Several drugs show potential for COVID-19 treatment based on in-vitro and in-vivo studies.
• Drug repurposing is a viable strategy, but requires further clinical validation.
• Robust clinical trials are essential to confirm the safety and efficacy of repurposed drugs for COVID-19.