COVID-19 treatment: Scientists are trying out these existing drugs to find a cure
REMEDISVIR
Remdesivir was developed by the Gilead Sciences during the outbreak of Ebola but it failed to work on the Ebola virus. Later in the year 2017, scientists tested the same drug to check its effectiveness against other coronavirus infections.
The research was done in laboratories (test tubes) and on rhesus macaque monkeys who were infected with MERS-CoV infection . The research showed that Remdesivir shuts down viral replication by hindering the enzyme RNA polymerase, which is necessary for the virus to multiply and grow in the host's body.The scientists concluded that Remdesivir has the ability to inhibit the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and MERS viruses.
COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, from the same coronaviridae family of single-stranded RNA viruses that cause SARS and MERS.The scientists concluded that Remdesivir has the ability to inhibit the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and MERS viruses. COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, from the same coronaviridae family of single-stranded RNA viruses that cause SARS and MERS.Preclinical studies show that Remdesivir could be effective for the prevention as well as treatment of coronavirus infections. Human trials for this began in early April 2020.
The research was done in laboratories (test tubes) and on rhesus macaque monkeys who were infected with MERS-CoV infection . The research showed that Remdesivir shuts down viral replication by hindering the enzyme RNA polymerase, which is necessary for the virus to multiply and grow in the host's body.The scientists concluded that Remdesivir has the ability to inhibit the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and MERS viruses.
COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, from the same coronaviridae family of single-stranded RNA viruses that cause SARS and MERS.The scientists concluded that Remdesivir has the ability to inhibit the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and MERS viruses. COVID-19 is caused by SARS-CoV-2, from the same coronaviridae family of single-stranded RNA viruses that cause SARS and MERS.Preclinical studies show that Remdesivir could be effective for the prevention as well as treatment of coronavirus infections. Human trials for this began in early April 2020.
Lopinavir, Ritonavir
There are many drugs which have been used for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis such as baricitinib, fedratinib, ruxolitinib and tocilizumab. According to a recent study published in The Lancet, scientists have found that the combination of baricitinib with antivirals such as lopinavir, ritonavir or remdesivir can potentially kill the COVID-19 virus. This has not been used on patients yet but is in the clinical testing phase
In recent research done by the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute (BDI) and the Peter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity (Doherty Institute), it was concluded that there is a potent anti-parasitic drug, Ivermectin, which has the ability to kill the COVID-19 virus within 48 hours. Ivermectin is an anti-parasitic drug which is used for the treatment of head lice and intestinal worms
This joint venture of the University of Melbourne and Royal Melbourne Hospital found that when the drug, Ivermectin, was tested in labs, it arrested the growth of SARS-CoV-2 virus present in a cell within 48 hours.
The head of the study, Dr Kylie Wagstaff, stated that the drug destroyed all the RNA of the virus within 48 hours.
Ivermectin has previously been shown to be effective in labs against the viruses that cause dengue.influenza , Zika and even HIV . Ivermectin is yet to be tried on humans and is in the pre-clinical phase for use in COVID-19 treatment as of 14 April 2020.
Favipiravir
Favipiravir was developed by a Japanese pharma company, Fujifilm Toyama Chemical, to treat influenza and got approval as an experimental treatment for COVID-19 infections in February.
China's science and technology ministry on 17 March 2020 said that the drug has been effective in treating at least mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 infection: the drug had been used on almost 340 infected people at the time and had turned out safe and effective. As per the doctors, the drug prevented the replication of the virus and also improved the condition of the lungs that was confirmed by X-rays.
That said, a randomised control clinical trial began on 5th March 2020, which is being done to test the effect of Favipiravir along with chloroquine on 150 people with COVID-19 infection. The trial is estimated to get complete by 25th June 2020. Another clinical study was started 25th March 2020 to test the safety and efficiency of Favipiravir alone on COVID-19 patients. The study included 100 patients and is estimated to get complete by July 2020.
Infectious disease experts have pointed out that when a new pathogen wreaks havoc, doctors sometimes use drugs for off-label purposes: meaning, they use drugs for something other than the treatment for which these medicines have been approved. It is up to scientists to then take the doctors' findings and do control clinical trials to determine the efficacy and safety of the drug.
Hydroxychloroquine
To find an effective drug against the COVID-19 virus, scientists examined the malaria drug,hydroxychloroquine, in labs and in-vivo studies. Pre-clinical data showed that hydroxychloroquine is effective in preventing COVID-19 infection.
Hydroxychloroquine is the first-line drug used for the treatment of malaria. It also acts as a disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD). It is also used frequently to reduce the swelling and pain of arthritis. It has immunosuppressant properties and is used for some autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of India has allowed doctors to prescribe hydroxychloroquine as a prophylactic drug. However, it should only be given to those who are in direct contact with a COVID-19 positive person and to people who are at high risk of developing the disease such as healthcare workers.
Tissue plasminogen activator for COVID-19 infection
Many patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19 in China and Italy died because of the clotting of blood in their lungs - which, in turn, caused a pulmonary embolism. A blood clot is one of the major reasons for respiratory failure in people as it restricts oxygen supply to the blood.
Scientists are thinking of using tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for resolving this clot. tPA is a protein which helps in breaking down blood clots. It is widely used in the treatment of people suffering from a heart attack or a stroke as it resolves the blood clot present in their heart and brain, respectively.
The US Food and Drug Administration has granted scientists permission to directly start an experimental clinical trial to test the effectiveness of tPA for COVID-19 patients.
Antiviral drugs for COVID-19 infection
So far no antiviral drugs have proved to be effective in controlling the COVID-19 infection in people. Interferons are a type of signalling proteins that are produced by the body’s cells as a defensive response to the viruses. They act as a medium of contact between cells.
Scientists have been using an antiviral drug, ritonavir, in combination with the immunomodulatory agent interferon beta-1 (IFNβ-1). IFNβ-1 has been used for more than 20 years for the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis. The combination of ritonavir and IFNβ-1 has proved to be a safe and easy course of treatment against COVID-19 in the early stages of infection. The combination drug has only been tested in labs and is yet to go under human trials.
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