Quest for a COVID-19 Cure by Repurposing Small-Molecule Drugs: Mechanism of Action, Clinical Development, Synthesis at Scale, and Outlook for Supply

Chris De Savi; David L Hughes; Lisbet Kvaerno

doi:10.1021/acs.oprd.0c00233

Quest for a COVID-19 Cure by Repurposing Small-Molecule Drugs: Mechanism of Action, Clinical Development, Synthesis at Scale, and Outlook for Supply

Org Process Res Dev. 2020 Jun 2;24(6):940-976. doi: 10.1021/acs.oprd.0c00233. eCollection 2020 Jun 19.

Authors

Chris De Savi¹, David L Hughes², Lisbet Kvaerno³

Affiliations

¹ Kymera Therapeutics, 300 Technology Square, Second Floor, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
² Cidara Therapeutics, Inc., 6310 Nancy Ridge Drive, Suite 101, San Diego, California 92121, United States.
³ Hypha Discovery Ltd, 154C Brook Drive, Milton Science Park, Abingdon OX14 4SD, United Kingdom.

PMID: 37556267
DOI: 10.1021/acs.oprd.0c00233

Abstract

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has spurred an intense global effort to repurpose existing approved drugs for its treatment. In this review, we highlight the development of seven small-molecule drugs that are currently being assessed in clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19. Three sections are presented for each drug: (1) history, mechanism of action, and status of clinical trials; (2) scalable synthetic routes and final forms; and (3) outlook for supply should clinical trials show treatment efficacy. A brief overview of diagnostic testing and vaccine development is also presented.

Publication types

Review