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Evidence and the Main Adverse Effects Regarding Drug Therapies in the War Against COVID-19

Mauricio Mora-Ramírez1, Paulina Melgoza-Hernández2, Sebastian Eduardo Toledo-Ramírez3

  • 1Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital General de Zona 8 Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, IMSS, Mexico City, Mexico.

Current Medicinal Chemistry
|October 27, 2020
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

No definitive COVID-19 treatments exist, highlighting the need to understand risks. This review examines adverse effects of common drugs used for SARS-CoV-2 infection, guiding hospital care.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology
  • Critical Care Medicine

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant global health challenge with no proven definitive treatments.
  • Rapidly increasing SARS-CoV-2 infections outpace medical evidence, necessitating urgent therapeutic strategies.
  • Emerging knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 virology identifies potential targets for drug development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To provide clinicians with a rapid review of adverse effects associated with commonly prescribed drugs for COVID-19.
  • To assess the efficacy and potential risks of pharmacological therapies used in hospital settings for SARS-CoV-2 infection.
  • To systematically identify risk factors and adverse effects of treatments with partial evidence.

Main Methods:

  • Literature search conducted on PubMed (until July 20, 2020) and Web of Science (until August 28, 2020).
  • Inclusion of case reports, case series, and reviews due to a scarcity of randomized clinical trials.
  • Independent review of titles and abstracts from 1606 identified articles.

Main Results:

  • A significant number of trials and case reports have been published regarding COVID-19 therapies.
  • No definitive therapy against COVID-19 infection has been established to date.
  • Partial evidence exists for various therapeutic approaches, necessitating careful risk assessment.

Conclusions:

  • Despite extensive research efforts, a definitive cure for COVID-19 remains elusive.
  • Understanding risk factors and adverse effects of current treatments is crucial for patient management.
  • This review offers a systematic overview to aid clinicians in navigating therapeutic options for COVID-19.
Keywords:
COVID-19 pandemicSARS-COV-2definitive therapiesinfectionrandomized clinical trialstreatment

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