Antiviral
treatments that can be taken at home to keep people with COVID-19 out of the hospital
are critically needed.
1- Remdesivir
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"There's only one drug right now that we think may have real
efficacy," Bruce Aylward of the World Health Organization said last month,
as reported by STAT. "And that's Remdesivir."
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It has proven effective at inhibiting the growth of similar viruses, severe
acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).
In a petri dish, Remdesivir can prevent human cells from becoming infected with
SARS-CoV-2.
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Remdesevir can reduce complications or shorten the disease course in COVID-19
patients.
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It works by knocking out a specific piece of machinery in the virus, known as
"RNA polymerase," which many viruses use to replicate. It has been
shown in the past to be effective in human cells and mouse models.
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It can stop the coronavirus from copying itself. Through clinical trials and
expanded access programs, more than 1,700 COVID-19 patients have been treated
with Remdesivir.
2- Molnupiravir
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This drug reduces the ability of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, to
replicate. It works by mimicking one of the building blocks of the virus’s
genetic material. When the virus reproduces, it builds a new copy of its RNA,
and the drug ends up being incorporated into it.
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When the virus then reproduces, the molnupiravir causes mutations to accumulate
in the virus’s RNA, which increase every time it replicates. Eventually, this
causes an “error catastrophe”, where excessive mutations stop the virus from
being able to reproduce altogether, and it dies off.
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Initially, molnupiravir’s developers applied to the US Food and Drug
Administration for permission to test it in humans as a treatment for seasonal
influenza. However, after COVID emerged, and it was shown to have an effect against
SARS-CoV-2, a request was submitted to test it against this virus too.
Read more: COVID-19 vaccines profits in 2021
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Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration for the treatment of malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis,
but preliminary research in human and primate cells suggests that the drugs
could effectively treat COVID-19.
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It appears to be able to block viruses from binding to human cells and getting
inside them to replicate. It also may stimulate the immune system.
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Chloroquine could quell the spread of SARS-CoV when applied to infected human
cells.
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Chloroquine disrupts the ability of the SARS-CoV virus to enter and replicate
in human cells.
- Chloroquine phosphate is widely available, but it isn't without its side effects, and health officials are warning against self-medicating. It can give you headaches, diarrhea, rashes, itching and muscle problems.
4- Favipiravir
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Favipiravir or Avigan, has been used in Japan to treat influenza, and last
month, the drug was approved as an experimental treatment for COVID-19
infections.
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The drug appeared to shorten the course of the disease, with patients who were
given the treatment clearing the virus after just four days, while those who
did not took around 11 days.
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So far, reports suggest the drug has been tested in 340 individuals in Wuhan
and Shenzhen. "It has a high degree of safety.
- Favipiravir is an influenza treatment and a
broad-spectrum antiviral drug. It's not approved in the US, but is used in
Japan and China.
Read more: Comparing vaccines: country of origin, safety, efficacy, and approval
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Ivermectin is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antiparasitic drug
that is used to treat several neglected tropical diseases, including
onchocerciasis, helminthiases, and scabies. It is also being evaluated for its
potential to reduce the rate of malaria transmission by killing mosquitoes that
feed on treated humans and livestock. For these indications, ivermectin has
been widely used and is generally well tolerated. Ivermectin is not approved by
the FDA for the treatment of any viral infection. Recently ivermectin has also
been studied to treat a range of viruses.
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Ivermectin can block the cargo transporter, so the viral proteins can’t get
into the nucleus. This is how the scientists believe Ivermectin works against
SARS-CoV-2 virus.
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