Battling COVID-19: using old weapons for a new enemy

Abstract

Abstract Coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) has reached pandemic proportions. Most of the drugs that are being tried for the treatment have not been evaluated in any randomized controlled trials. The purpose of this review was to summarize the in-vitro and in-vivo efficacy of these drugs on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS-CoV-2) and related viruses (SARS and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and evaluate their potential for re-purposing them in the management of COVID-19.

Keywords

• SARS-CoV-2
• Hydroxychloroquine
• Lopinavir/ritonavir
• Remdisivir
• Nitazoxanide
• Tocilizumab