Table 5.
Summary of drugs/treatments registered for clinical trials against SARS-CoV-2.
| Drug/Treatment | Mode of Action | Antiviral Activity against COVID-19-Related Viruses | References |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lopinavir/Ritonavir | Protease inhibitor | - Provided good results against SARS-CoV decreased the viral load significantly and provided good results in COVID-19 patients | [97,98,109] |
| Arbidol | Inhibits membrane fusion | - Used for the treatment of influenza viruses in Russia and China - Lopinavir/ritonavir plus arbidol combination improved significantly the conditions of patients suffering from COVID-19 pneumonia |
[102,110] |
| Interferon therapy | Inhibits many stages of virus replication: viral entry, transcription, replication, translation, assembly | - Opinavir/ritonavir plus interferon combination was used for the treatment of HIV infection - Ribavirin and interferon combination was used for the treatment of patients infected with MERS-CoV |
[99,100,101] |
| Favipiravir | Inhibits viral RNA polymerase and mRNA capping | - Demonstrated an inhibitory effect on all influenza subtypes including neuraminidase- and M2 inhibitor-resistant strains - Showed inhibitory effects against Arenaviruses, Bunyaviruses, and Filoviruses |
[111,112,113] |
| Chloroquine | Increases pH in host cell lysosomes and negatively influences virus–receptor binding, as well as interferes with the glycosylation of cellular receptors of SARS-CoV | - Exhibited a promising antiviral effect against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro - Improved COVID-19-pneumonia patients and shortened the course of the disease |
[114] |
| Remdesivir | A monophosphoramidate of adenosine prodrug that incorporates into nascent viral RNA chains causing pre-mature termination | - Used against a wide range of RNA viruses such as Filoviridae, Paramyxoviridae, Pneumoviridae, and Coronaviridae; used successfully in COVID-19 treatment in the United States and showed no adverse events | [115] |
| Darunavir and Cobicistat | Inhibit 3 C-like protease (3CLpro). | - Used for the treatment of MERS-CoV in experimental animals - Used for the treatment of HIV-1 patients |
[116] |
| Oseltamivir | Neuraminidase inhibitor | - Anti-influenza drug - Combination of nitazoxanide and oseltamivir is more effective in the treatment of ferrets infected with influenza virus compared to oseltamivir monotherapy |
[97,117] |
| Steroid treatment (Methylprednisolon) | Anti-inflammatory | - Commonly used for the treatment of SARS patients suffering from severe pneumonia. - Because these drugs are immunosuppressive, they may delay viral clearance if given before viral replication is controlled |
[102,118] |
| Convalescent plasma | SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies | - Immunotherapy combined with antiviral drugs is efficient against COVID-19 | [119,120] |
| Mesenchymal Stem Cells | Anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory | - Enhances recovery in COVID-19 patients. | [121] |
| Ivermectin | Anti-parasitic and antiviral | - Inhibits the in vitro replication of SARS-CoV-2 on Vero-hSLAM cells with 5000-fold reduction in viral RNA in 48 hours | [122] |