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COVID-19: Potential Repurposing Drugs

Wattana Leowattana1

  • 1Department of Clinical Tropical Medicine, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, 420/6 Rajavithi Road, Rachatawee, Bangkok 10400, Thailand.

Infectious Disorders Drug Targets
|March 1, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Repurposing existing drugs like Favipiravir, Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine, and Remdesivir is crucial for treating COVID-19. This review summarizes research on potential therapeutic drug targets for SARS-CoV-2 to accelerate effective treatment discovery.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Drug Discovery

Background:

  • Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) caused the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to millions of infections and deaths globally.
  • No specific vaccines or effective antiviral drugs are currently available for COVID-19 treatment.
  • Drug repurposing offers a strategy to expedite the discovery of treatments for emerging infectious diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current research on potential therapeutic drug targets for SARS-CoV-2.
  • To identify and summarize repurposed drugs being investigated for COVID-19 treatment.
  • To provide information on drug repurposing strategies against SARS-CoV-2.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of current research studies.
  • Identification of potential therapeutic antiviral drug targets.
  • Summary of drug repurposing candidates including Favipiravir, Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine, and Remdesivir.

Main Results:

  • Several potential drug targets, including antiviral and anti-host proteins, are being investigated.
  • Favipiravir, Chloroquine, Hydroxychloroquine, and Remdesivir are among the most promising repurposed drugs.
  • Ongoing research continuously reports new antiviral target proteins and potential treatments.

Conclusions:

  • Drug repurposing is a vital strategy for rapidly developing treatments against SARS-CoV-2.
  • Continued research into drug targets and repurposed medications is essential for combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • This review consolidates current knowledge to guide future therapeutic development efforts.
Keywords:
COVID-19SARS-CoV-2chloroquinefavipiravirhydroxychloroquineremdesivirrepurposing drugs

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