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Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
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Repurposing drugs for the management of COVID-19

Jacopo Cusinato1, Ylenia Cau2, Anna Maria Calvani3

  • 1Department of Medicine, Surgery and Neuroscience, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.

Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents
|December 7, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Drug repurposing accelerated the development of COVID-19 treatments, with remdesivir approved and other drugs like corticosteroids widely used. This strategy enhances preparedness for future epidemics.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Pharmacology
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, emerged as a global health crisis with millions of cases and deaths.
  • The scientific community rapidly mobilized research efforts, focusing on diagnostics and therapeutics.
  • Drug repurposing emerged as a key strategy to expedite clinical testing and regulatory approval for COVID-19 treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review successful drug repurposing approaches for COVID-19.
  • To analyze these approaches from design, clinical, and regulatory perspectives.
  • To discuss available patents on repurposed drugs.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of drug repurposing strategies for COVID-19.
  • Analysis of clinical trial data and regulatory approvals.
  • Examination of patent landscape for repurposed COVID-19 therapeutics.

Main Results:

  • Drug repurposing has been highly successful, leading to the approval of remdesivir as the first specific antiviral for COVID-19.
  • Corticosteroids and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) are established treatments for hospitalized patients.
  • Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating additional repurposed drug candidates.

Conclusions:

  • Drug repurposing significantly contributed to managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Continued research is expected to yield more optimized and specific therapeutic tools.
  • This strategy bolsters health system preparedness for future epidemic threats.
Keywords:
COVID-19SARS-CoV-2antiviral drugscoronavirusdrug repurposingremdesivir

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