Advances in the possible treatment of COVID-19: A review

Eur J Pharmacol. 2020 Sep 15:883:173372. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173372. Epub 2020 Jul 17.

Abstract

The emergence of the global pandemic caused by novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has put a challenge to identify or derive the therapeutics for its prevention and treatment. Despite the unprecedented advances in the modern medicinal system, currently, there are no proven effective therapies. However, rapid research on SARS-CoV-2 epidemiology help unveiling some new targets for potential drug therapies. Many drugs have been screened, and even their clinical trials are going on at an exceptional pace. Amongst these RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitors (favipiravir and remdesivir) and steroids especially dexamethasone showed promising effects. The biological agents like tocilizumab, interferons, and convalescent plasma prove to be beneficial in viral clearance. Moreover, many immunomodulatory and viral S protein targeting vaccines have their ongoing clinical trials. The establishment of various in vitro and in vivo models for preclinical studies can additionally help the current research. The volume and the pace of the clinical trials launched to evaluate the safety and efficacy of various agents against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) reflect the need for high-quality evidence for various therapies to be practiced by clinicians. This study aims to sum up all the current advances in the global medicinal system against the COVID-19.

Keywords: Antivirals; COVID-19; Epidemiology; Therapeutics; Treatments; Vaccines.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Antiviral Agents / pharmacology*
  • Betacoronavirus / drug effects
  • COVID-19
  • COVID-19 Drug Treatment
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Coronavirus Infections* / drug therapy
  • Coronavirus Infections* / epidemiology
  • Coronavirus Infections* / prevention & control
  • Drug Development*
  • Drug Discovery*
  • Humans
  • Pandemics* / prevention & control
  • Pneumonia, Viral* / drug therapy
  • Pneumonia, Viral* / epidemiology
  • Pneumonia, Viral* / prevention & control
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Viral Vaccines / pharmacology*

Substances

  • Antiviral Agents
  • COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Viral Vaccines