COVID-19 Global Pandemic Fight by Drugs: A Mini-Review on Hope and Hype

ABSTRACT

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), a serious disease caused by the Severe Acute Res-piratory Syndrome-Corona Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), was firstly identified in the city of Wuhan of China in December 2019, which then spread and became a global issue due to its high transmission rate. To date, the outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in infection to 230,868,745 people and the death of 4,732,669 patients. It has paralyzed the economy of all the countries worldwide. Considering the possible mutations of SARS-CoV-2, the current medical emergency requires a longer time for drug design and vaccine development. Drug repurposing is a promising option for potent therapeutics against the pandemic. The present review encompasses various drugs or appropriate combinations of already FDA-approved antimalarial, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic therapeu-tic candidates for use in the clinical trials as a ray of hope against COVID-19. It is expected to deliver better clinical and laboratory outcomes of drugs as a prevention strategy for the eradication of the dis-ease.