A team of scientists has identified 21 existing drugs that stop the replication of the SARS-CoV-2 which causes COVID-19 in lab studies. This may lead to the development of new therapeutic combinations against the coronavirus disease.
The researchers included those from the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in the US. They analysed one of the world’s largest collections of known drugs for their ability to block the replication of the COVID-19 and found 100 molecules with confirmed antiviral activity in laboratory tests. The study has been published in the journal Nature.
21 of these existing drugs are effective in blocking the reproduction of the deadly virus at concentrations that could be safely achieved in patients.
It said four of these compounds were found to work in combination with remdesivir, a current standard-of-care treatment for COVID-19.
“Remdesivir has proven successful at shortening the recovery time for patients in the hospital, but the drug doesn’t work for everyone who receives it. That’s not good enough,” said Sumit Chanda, Director of the Immunity and Pathogenesis Program at Sanford Burnham Prebys and senior author of the study.
“The urgency remains to find affordable, effective, and readily available drugs that can complement the use of remdesivir, as well as drugs that could be given prophylactically or at the first sign of infection on an outpatient basis,” Chanda said.
Of the 21 drugs that were effective at blocking viral replication, the researchers found that 13 of them have previously entered clinical trials for other indications and are effective at concentrations, or doses, that could potentially be safely achieved in coronavirus positive patients.
They said two of them are already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) — astemizole (allergies), clofazamine (leprosy) — and remdesivir has received Emergency Use Authorization from the agency.
“This study significantly expands the possible therapeutic options for coronavirus positive patients, especially since many of the molecules already have clinical safety data in humans,” Chanda said.
