Table 2.
Potential investigational therapies for nCOVID-19.
| Drug class | Drug | Mechanism of action | Outcome | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antiviral agents | Remdesivir | Inhibits viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) | Showed promising in vitro and clinical activity against coronavirus | Brown et al., 2019; ClinicalTrials.gov, 2020e |
| Favipiravir | Exhibited excellent activity in treating nCOVID-19 patients | Xinhua News Agency, 2020 | ||
| Ribavirin | It showed effective antiviral activity against SARS-CoV, but can be detrimental for the patients with respiratory distress | Chan et al., 2015; Martinez, 2020 | ||
| Umifenovir | Inhibits entry of virus into the host cell | It can inhibit viral entry into the host cell | Boriskin et al., 2008 | |
| Lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) | Combination of umifenovir and LPV/r showed better activity as compared to the sole use of LPV/r in nCOVID-19 treatment | Deng et al., 2020 | ||
| Antimalarials | Chloroquine | Prevents the viral fusion with the cell membrane of the host cell | Findings from in vitro studies are promising | Vincent et al., 2005; Cortegiani et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2020b |
| Hydroxychloroquine | Controls cytokine storm | Showed excellent in vitro activity as well as more potent and less likely to interact with other drugs as compared to chloroquine | Yao et al., 2020 | |
| Macrolide antibiotics | Azithromycin | Enhances the anti-SARS-CoV-2 effect of hydroxychloroquine | Combined use led to a reinforcement of hydroxychloroquine's efficacy in treating nCOVID-19 patients | Gautret et al., 2020 |
| Glycopeptide antibiotics | Teicoplanin and its derivatives | Inhibits cathepsin L and cathepsin B in host cells | They can selectively suppress the effects of cathepsins B and L in the host cell | Wang et al., 2016; Zhou et al., 2016 |
| Antiparasitic agent | Ivermectin | Dissociates IMPα/β1 heterodimer | Recent in vivo study has been demonstrated that it can remarkably decrease the level of viral RNA | Caly et al., 2020 |
| Nitazoxanide | Interferes with the host-regulated pathways linked with viral replication | Exerted a potent in vitro antiviral activity against SARS CoV-2 | Wang et al., 2020b |