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Drug repurposing strategies and key challenges for COVID-19 management

Shubham Mule1, Ajit Singh1, Khaled Greish2

  • 1Department of Pharmaceutics, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research-Raebareli, Lucknow, India.

Journal of Drug Targeting
|December 2, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Drug repurposing offers a faster, cost-effective strategy for developing COVID-19 treatments. This review evaluates existing drugs and biologics for their potential against SARS-CoV-2, focusing on safety and efficacy.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Pharmacology
  • Drug Development

Background:

  • COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, targets lung cells via ACE2 receptors.
  • No definitive treatment exists, necessitating rapid therapeutic strategies.
  • Drug repurposing accelerates drug discovery by utilizing existing, approved medications.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review and evaluate repurposed drugs and biologics for COVID-19 treatment.
  • To assess the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and safety profiles of these agents.
  • To explore the future prospects of drug repurposing for emerging viral infections.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of scientific studies on drug repurposing for COVID-19.
  • Analysis of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data for selected drugs.
  • Evaluation of safety and efficacy data from clinical and preclinical studies.

Main Results:

  • Several drugs, including hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, and favipiravir, demonstrated in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2.
  • Drug repurposing leverages existing safety data, reducing development time and cost.
  • Repurposed agents offer a viable pathway to regulatory approval and clinical use.

Conclusions:

  • Drug repurposing is a critical strategy for addressing the urgent need for COVID-19 therapeutics.
  • Evaluating existing drugs provides a faster route to effective treatments compared to de novo development.
  • This approach significantly reduces the time, cost, and safety assessment burden in drug discovery.
Keywords:
SARS-CoV2clinical trialsdrug repurposingdrug targetspathophysiology

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