Pharmacological Strategies for COVID-19 - A Review of the Most Promising Repurposed Antiviral Drugs

A novel coronavirus, SARS- CoV-2 (2019-nCoV), emerged in December 2019 as an immediate global challenge. Comprehensive efforts at the present time are focused simultaneously on containing the spread of this virus and extenuating the ill effects. There is an immediate need for drugs that can help before a vaccine can be developed. Researchers are endeavoring to find antiviral therapies specific to the virus. As the condition is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation and development of new drugs is a long process, and is unfeasible to face the immediate global challenge. Strategy to reposition the previously used drugs can prove to be effective to combat this difficult to treat pandemic. Several drugs such as Hydroxychloroquine, Umifenovir, Remdesivir, Lopinavir/ Ritonavir, interferon, Darunavir, Favipiravir, Nitazoxanide, etc. are currently undergoing clinical studies to test the safety and efficacy of the drug against this pandemic. The present review gives a snapshot look at the current clinical experience with repurposed antiviral drugs.