Main Contenders Currently in the COVID-19 Treatment Race

Different drugs that originally target other diseases can be a first step to treat COVID-19 while the world waits for the scientific community to develop a vaccine or treatment against the virus. Here are the three most advanced and popular drugs being put to the test for positive COVID-19 cases.

• Remdesivir is the drug that has further advanced on clinical trials for COVID-19. In the past, it has shown positive results against SARS, MERS and Ebola. This is an antiviral administered by intravenous infusion exclusively at hospitals as it is not yet FDA approved for market use. According to research updates, the benefits of Remdesivir have been modest but significant, showing a 31 percent recovery acceleration, according to the National Institute of Health.
• Dexamethasone has recently been showcased as the “first drug to save lives.” What has brought more attention to this drug is its accessible price and its large availability. During its clinical trial, the drug showed to reduce deaths by 33 percent in seriously ill COVID-19 patients.
• Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have caused much controversy over the past months after President of the US Donald Trump declared he was using the drug to prevent the virus and recommended people to try it as they had “nothing to lose.” A couple of weeks ago, WHO had to momentarily suspended the trial on these drugs after a The Lancet study mistakenly suggested they increased the risk of death on COVID-19 patients. Both hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been used to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. Some studies have shown these drugs to be effective on treating mild cases of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

In more recent notes, convalescent plasma and the drug Tocilizumab have shown promising results as well. In fact, IMSS is the first national COFEPRIS-approved institution to treat COVID-19 with convalescent plasma. According to Mayo Clinic, this treatment therapy is based on the use of blood plasma from those who have recovered from COVID-19, who now have antibodies against the disease in their blood.

As for Tocilizumab, this drug is commonly used to treat alterations to the immune system and has not gone through formal clinical trials against COVID-19. However, studies suggest that this medicine has been an effective method to treat seriously ill COVID-19 patients because its molecules activate a response to the virus and bacteria that affect lungs and liver. Last week, Roche Pharmaceuticals thanked COFEPRIS for their authorization on the drug, which allows clinical trials on Tocilizumab to begin in Mexico.

There are several contenders in the race but unfortunately, their test results are not that significant yet, including Azithromycin, ritonavir, favipiravir, oseltamivir, colchicine and fluvoxamine.

It is important to note that none of the previously mentioned drugs are official COVID-19 treatments. Up to date, there is still no cure nor drug authorized for this pandemic and these medicines are exclusively recommended by hospitals.