Table 1.
List of potential drugs currently being applied for the treatment of COVID-19.
| Potential drug | Mechanism | Study |
|---|---|---|
| Hydroxychloroquine | HCQ a safe and effective treatment against COVID-19 | [[110], [111], [112]] |
| Chloroquine | Increasing endosomal pH, immunomodulating, autophagy inhibitors | [113,114] |
| Azithromycin | Significant reduction in viral load in COVID-19 patients | [110,115] |
| Human immunoglobulin | Contain natural antibodies and proteins representing the first line of defence against pathogens | [[116], [117], [118]] |
| Remdesivir | Blocks the replication of coronaviruses | [119,120] |
| Arbidol (umifenovir) | It blocks the entry of the virus into the host cell | [121,122] |
| Oseltamivir | Inhibitor of viral neuraminidase and consequently blocks the release of viral particles from the host cell | [120,121,123,124] |
| Lopinavir-ritonavir | Inhibiting HIV-1 protease for protein cleavage, resulting in non-infectious, immature viral particles | [125,126] |
| Darunavir-cobicistat combination | HIV protease inhibitor and Pharmacokinetic and Pharmacodynamics booster | [[127], [128], [129]] |
| Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) combination with lopinavir-ritonavir, α-interferon via aerosol | Under trial | [[130], [131], [132], [133]] |
| Recombinant human interferon α2β | Inhibits MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV | [82,126,132] |
| Danoprevir-ritonavir and interferoninhalation or lopinavir-ritonavir or TCM plus interferon inhalation | Under trial | [134,135] |
| Xiyanping | Significant antiviral and antibacterial effects | [[136], [137], [138]] |
| Combinations of Oseltamivir, favipiravir, and chloroquine | Under trial | [121] |
| Thalidomide | Degrades messenger RNA in blood cells and reduces tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) | [[139], [140], [141]] |
| Vitamin C | Antioxidant and reduces oxidative stress, inflammation, improves vasopressor synthesis and immune cell function | [142,143] |
| Methylprednisolone | Prolongs the survival time of the clinical cases | [144,145] |
| Bromhexine hydrochloride | Transmembrane protease serine inhibitor, responsible for activation of S-glycoprotein of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV | [146,147] |
| Bevacizumab | Suppresses the edema in COVID-19 patients by reducing the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) | [148,149] |
| Fingolimod | Immunology modulator used in multiple sclerosis | [150] |
| Baricitinib | Binding to AP2-associated protein kinase 1 (AAK1) | [151] |
| Lithium | Probably by reducing apoptosis and inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK-3β) | [152] |
| Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and Angiotensin1 receptor inhibitors | Rebalancing Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS) (might reduce the pulmonary inflammatory response and mortality) | [153] |
| Cepharanthine, selamectin and mefloquine | Complete inhibition of cytopathic effects in cell culture by all three drugs |
[154] |
| Qingfei paidu decoction | Controlling of COVID-19 symptoms |
[155] |
| Pirfenidone | Anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant by inhibiting IL-1β and IL-4 | [156] |