Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 18, 2025
Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
Published on: December 11, 2016
Effective Treatment of COVID-19 Infection with Repurposed Drugs: Case Reports
Abraham M Enyeji1, Amit Arora2, Harpal S Mangat3
1Division of Community Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, Columbus, Georgia, 31901, USA.
Abstract:
The COVID-19 pandemic response has been hindered by the absence of an efficient antiviral therapy for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The reason why the previous preventative approach to COVID-19 solely through vaccines has failed could be a lack of understanding of how quickly the SARS-CoV-2 virus evolves. Given the absence of specific treatments for the virus, efforts have been underway to explore treatment options. Drug repurposing involves identifying new therapeutic uses for approved drugs, proving to be a time-saving strategy with minimal risk of failure. In this study, we report the successful use of a multidrug approach in patients with COVID-19. Successful administration of multidrug therapy, such as combinations of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin, doxycycline and ivermectin, or ivermectin, doxycycline, and azithromycin, has been reported. Multidrug therapy is effective because of the differing mechanisms of action of these drugs, and it may also mitigate the emergence of drug-resistant SARS-CoV-2 strains. The medicines were lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), bamlanivimab (monoclonal antibody), glycopyrrolate-formoterol (Bevespi), ciclesonide (Alvesco), famotidine (Pepcid), and diphenhydramine (Benadryl).
Insights
Multidrug therapy shows promise for treating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Combining existing drugs may offer an effective strategy against COVID-19 and prevent drug resistance.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
- Pharmacology
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic has lacked effective antiviral treatments for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
- Viral evolution poses challenges to solely vaccine-based prevention strategies.
- Drug repurposing offers a rapid and low-risk approach to identifying new therapeutic uses for existing medications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the efficacy of a multidrug therapeutic approach for patients diagnosed with COVID-19.
- To explore the potential of combining various approved drugs to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Main Methods:
- The study involved the administration of multidrug regimens to patients with COVID-19.
- Investigated combinations included hydroxychloroquine with azithromycin, doxycycline with ivermectin, and a triple combination of ivermectin, doxycycline, and azithromycin.
- Other explored medications included lopinavir/ritonavir, bamlanivimab, glycopyrrolate-formoterol, ciclesonide, famotidine, and diphenhydramine.
Main Results:
- Successful administration of multidrug therapy was reported in patients with COVID-19.
- The diverse mechanisms of action within these drug combinations contribute to their effectiveness.
- Multidrug therapy may play a role in mitigating the development of drug-resistant SARS-CoV-2 strains.
Conclusions:
- Multidrug therapy presents a viable strategy for managing COVID-19.
- Combining drugs with different mechanisms can enhance treatment efficacy and combat viral resistance.
- Further research into repurposed drugs is crucial for developing robust antiviral therapies against SARS-CoV-2.
More Related Videos
08:41Live Imaging and Quantification of Viral Infection in K18 hACE2 Transgenic Mice Using Reporter-Expressing Recombinant SARS-CoV-2
Published on: November 5, 2021
10:29Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationship, Activity Prediction, and Molecular Dynamics of Non-nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Published on: May 9, 2025
Related Concept Videos
01:27Combined Effects of Drugs: Synergism
Such synergistic combinations...
02:49Cancer Therapies
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...