Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2025

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2
08:41

Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2

Published on: November 5, 2021

2.7K

COVID-19 therapeutics

Daniele Focosi1, Massimo Franchini2, Fabrizio Maggi3

  • 1North-Western Tuscany Blood Bank, Pisa University Hospital, Pisa, Italy.

Clinical Microbiology Reviews
|May 21, 2024
PubMed

Insights

This review examines COVID-19 antiviral therapies, including their efficacy, safety, and mechanisms. It highlights ongoing challenges in treatment selection for high-risk patients and funding for new drug development.

Area of Science:

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pharmacology
  • Virology

Background:

  • The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated rapid development of antiviral therapies.
  • Current treatment options face challenges due to viral evolution and controversial efficacy.
  • Uncertainty remains regarding optimal therapies for high-risk individuals.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the antiviral activity, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, and safety of COVID-19 antiviral therapies.
  • To summarize evidence from randomized controlled trials on the efficacy and safety of these antivirals.
  • To discuss unmet needs in COVID-19 antiviral drug development.

Main Methods:

  • Comprehensive literature review of COVID-19 antiviral therapies.
  • Analysis of data from randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
  • Evaluation of pharmacokinetic and safety profiles.

Main Results:

  • Multiple antiviral agents have been studied, with varying degrees of efficacy and safety.
  • Viral evolution poses a significant challenge to treatment effectiveness.
  • The drug pipeline faces funding shortages and development fatigue.

Conclusions:

  • Further research is needed to optimize COVID-19 treatment strategies, especially for high-risk populations.
  • Addressing unmet needs in antiviral development is crucial for future pandemic preparedness.
  • Continued evaluation of existing and novel antivirals is essential.
Keywords:
COVID-19SARS-CoV-2antiviral therapiesconvalescent plasmamonoclonal antibodiessmall-molecule antivirals

More Related Videos

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship, Activity Prediction, and Molecular Dynamics of Non-nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors10:29

Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship, Activity Prediction, and Molecular Dynamics of Non-nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors

Published on: May 9, 2025

953
Early Viral Entry Assays for the Identification and Evaluation of Antiviral Compounds09:29

Early Viral Entry Assays for the Identification and Evaluation of Antiviral Compounds

Published on: October 29, 2015

30.2K

Related Concept Videos

Targeted Cancer Therapies02:57

Targeted Cancer Therapies

The targeted cancer therapies, also known as “molecular targeted therapies,” take advantage of the molecular and genetic differences between the cancer cells and the normal cells. It needs a thorough understanding of the cancer cells to develop drugs that can target specific molecular aspects that drive the growth, progression, and spread of cancer cells without affecting the growth and survival of other normal cells in the body.
There are several types of targeted therapies against...
7.6K
Cancer Therapies02:49

Cancer Therapies

Cancer therapies are various modes of treatment, such as surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy that are administered to cancer patients.
However, cancer treatments can pose several challenges, as therapies used to kill cancer cells are generally also toxic to normal cells. Moreover, cancer cells mutate rapidly and can develop resistance to chemical agents or radiation therapy. Besides, all types of cancer cells may not respond to the same therapy. Some cancer cells respond to one...
7.6K
Targets for Drug Action: Overview01:26

Targets for Drug Action: Overview

Drugs target macromolecules to modify ongoing cellular processes. Primary drug targets include receptors, ion channels, transporters, and enzymes.
Receptors are either membrane-spanning or intracellular proteins, which upon binding a ligand, get activated and transmit the signal downstream to elicit a response. Drugs bind receptors, either mimicking the action of endogenous ligands or blocking the receptor activity to bring about a modified response. Nearly 35% of approved drugs target the G...
6.2K
Principles of Drug Action01:24

Principles of Drug Action

Drugs are chemical substances that modify biological responses by interacting with macromolecular targets such as receptors, ion channels, transporters, and enzymes. Pharmacodynamics describes the course of action of drugs leading to the physiological effect at a specific site in the body.
Drugs can be agonists or antagonists. Like the endogenous ligands, agonists always bind and activate the target to produce a cellular response. Agonist binding induces a conformational change which in turn...
6.0K
Heart Failure Drugs: Inotropic Agents01:26

Heart Failure Drugs: Inotropic Agents

Positive inotropic agents are commonly used as the first line of treatment for heart failure. One such agent is digoxin, derived from the genus Digitalis, which has been known for centuries but effectively utilized since 1785. However, these cardiac glycosides can have potentially toxic effects due to their mechanism of action, which involves inhibiting Na+/K+-ATPase and increasing contractility. Digoxin is absorbed orally and distributed in various tissues, including the CNS. It has a long...
570
Drug Therapy01:28

Drug Therapy

The advent of drug therapy has profoundly shaped modern mental health care, providing targeted treatments for a range of psychological disorders. Psychotherapeutic drugs, classified into antianxiety, antidepressant, and antipsychotic medications, address symptoms across anxiety disorders, mood disorders, and schizophrenia. While these medications have transformed patient outcomes, they require careful management due to their potential side effects and limitations.
Antianxiety Medications
42