Table 3.
Experimental treatments for SARS-CoV-2 infection
| Drug | Results so far | Potential NMD-relevant side effects |
|---|---|---|
| Chloroquine (CQ)/Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) |
Open label studies of HCQ + azithromycin found an increased rate of viral load reduction or disappearance and clinical amelioration in most patients [60, 61] Randomized study of high vs. low dose of CQ failed to detect benefits (small sample size?) but higher CQ dosage not recommended because of potential cardiac toxicity [62] |
QTc interval prolongation, favoring fatal arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia and torsade de pointes, especially when combined with other QTc-prolonging drugs [63] CK elevation common Long-term use associated with risk of developing toxic neuromyopathy [64] and with onset or worsening of MG [65] |
| Lopinavir/Ritonavir (LPV/RTV) | Randomized trial found it did not improve outcome compared to SSC alone |
QTc interval prolongation, favoring fatal arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia and torsade de pointes, especially when combined with other QTc-prolonging drugs Risk of toxic myopathy in association with statins |
| Remdesivir | 61 patients with severe COVID-19 were treated with remdesivir on a compassionate use basis: 68% of patients showed improvement, 15% worsened [66] |
Myalgias in healthy controls [67] Elevation in liver enzymes [66] |
| Azithromycin | Open label studies of HCQ + azithromycin found increased rate of viral load reduction or disappearance and clinical amelioration in most patients [60, 61] |
QTc interval prolongation Risk of worsening MG |
| Tocilizumab (TCZ) | Decrease in CRP levels in five patients receiving two or more TCZ administrations | Elevation in liver enzymes |
| Eculizumab (ECZ) | Clinical amelioration and drop in inflammatory markers in 4 critically ill patients treated with ECZ [68] |
Myalgias and arthralgias Elevation in liver enzymes |
CK creatine kinase, CQ chloroquine, CRP C-reactive protein, ECZ eculizumab, HCQ hydroxychloroquine, LPV/RTV lopinavir/ritonavir, MG myasthenia gravis, SSC standard supportive care, TCZ tociluzumab