The growing numbers of coronavirus patients need treatment, but there are no FDA-approved medications for the disease yet. There are no vaccines yet either. So, in the meanwhile, some researchers have been developing ways to repurpose existing drugs to treat those infected potentially. A few of the possibilities for a short-term solution include:
Remdesivir
This experimental antiviral drug is an anti-Ebola treatment developed by a large biotechnology company called Gilead Sciences. The company has been working on the drug since 2009. According to its executives, we can expect data on whether the drug works to fight COVID-19 (the disease caused by the coronavirus) within a matter of weeks.
The World Health Organization sees it as “the most promising candidate therapy,” and President Donald Trump has praised the drug as having a “real chance” against the illness. Remdesivir is currently being tested in human patients who are suffering from a severe to moderate case of COVID-19.
Kaletra
Kaletra is an HIV drug manufactured by AddVie.
Early research by Chinese scientists found that the drug is not effective as it didn’t reduce the detectable amount of virus, improve patient mortality rates, or shorten hospital stays. However, the University of Queensland researchers in Australia found that when combined with another drug called Chloroquine, it worked. The combination of Kaletra and Chloroquine led to some of the first COVID-19 patient recoveries in the country.
Chloroquine
Chloroquine is a widely prescribed anti-malaria drug that’s been around since 1949. The FDA approved the pill after WWII. Since it has such a long-standing safety profile, its toxicity, and how to take the drug is well understood.
Trump has highlighted Chloroquine as another potential coronavirus treatment. Furthermore, South Korea, Belgium, and China have been putting it directly into their treatment guidelines for coronavirus.
More clinical trials are needed to know for sure if it works, but early reports suggest it may be able to fight COVID-19. If it proves successful, it would be a cheap and scalable solution.
Monoclonal Antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies are a type of protein that neutralizes viruses by using natural immune system functions. This option is a preventative treatment for those not infected yet. It can be seen as something in between a drug and a vaccine. It boosts a person’s immune system and preps the body against the disease.
The high-risk patient population – such as family members of COVID-19 patients and healthcare workers – would be the ones to receive this treatment as it would protect them from being infected.
None of the companies working on this option have reached the point of human testing yet.
A Vaccine Remains The “Gold Standard”
All these drugs are short-term and medium-term solutions. They mostly treat only those who have already contracted the coronavirus. A vaccine, on the other hand, would prevent coronavirus infection altogether. However, a vaccine is still several months away from reality.
