Clinical Trials of Repurposed Antivirals for SARS-CoV-2

Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2020 Aug 20;64(9):e01101-20. doi: 10.1128/AAC.01101-20. Print 2020 Aug 20.

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has prompted the repurposing of drugs on the basis of promising in vitro and therapeutic results with other human coronavirus diseases, such as severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS). These repurposed drugs have mainly included remdesivir, favipiravir, lopinavir-ritonavir, ribavirin, interferons, and hydroxychloroquine. Unfortunately, the first open-label, randomized, controlled trials are showing poor efficacy of these repurposed drugs. These results highlight the necessity of identifying and characterizing specific and potent SARS-CoV-2 antivirals.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antivirals.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adenosine Monophosphate / analogs & derivatives
  • Adenosine Monophosphate / therapeutic use
  • Alanine / analogs & derivatives
  • Alanine / therapeutic use
  • Amides / therapeutic use
  • Antiviral Agents / therapeutic use*
  • Betacoronavirus / drug effects*
  • Betacoronavirus / immunology
  • Betacoronavirus / pathogenicity
  • COVID-19
  • Coronavirus Infections / drug therapy*
  • Coronavirus Infections / immunology
  • Coronavirus Infections / mortality
  • Coronavirus Infections / virology
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Drug Combinations
  • Drug Repositioning
  • Humans
  • Hydroxychloroquine / therapeutic use
  • Interferons / therapeutic use*
  • Lopinavir / therapeutic use*
  • Pandemics
  • Pneumonia, Viral / drug therapy*
  • Pneumonia, Viral / immunology
  • Pneumonia, Viral / mortality
  • Pneumonia, Viral / virology
  • Pyrazines / therapeutic use
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Ribavirin / therapeutic use*
  • Ritonavir / therapeutic use*
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Survival Analysis
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Amides
  • Antiviral Agents
  • Drug Combinations
  • Pyrazines
  • lopinavir-ritonavir drug combination
  • Lopinavir
  • remdesivir
  • Adenosine Monophosphate
  • Ribavirin
  • Hydroxychloroquine
  • Interferons
  • favipiravir
  • Ritonavir
  • Alanine