Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Apr 19;1(3):231-237.
doi: 10.1002/emp2.12081. eCollection 2020 Jun.

COVID-19: A review of therapeutics under investigation

James C Crosby  1 , Matthew A Heimann  1 , Samuel L Burleson  1 , Brendan C Anzalone  1 , Jonathan F Swanson  1 , Douglas W Wallace  1 , Christopher J Greene  1
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19: A review of therapeutics under investigation

James C Crosby et al. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open. .

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak has disrupted global health care networks and caused thousands of deaths and an international economic downturn. Multiple drugs are being used on patients with COVID-19 based on theoretical and in vitro therapeutic targets. Several of these therapies have been studied, but many have limited evidence behind their use, and clinical trials to evaluate their efficacy are either ongoing or have not yet begun. This review summarizes the existing evidence for medications currently under investigation for treatment of COVID-19, including remdesivir, chloroquine/hydroxychlorquine, convalescent plasma, lopinavir/ritonavir, IL-6 inhibitors, corticosteroids, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.

Keywords: COVID‐19; IL‐6; SARS‐CoV‐2; chloroquine; coronavirus; lopinavir; medications; remdesivir; therapeutics.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Siobhán O'Grady R Coronavirus confirmed in all 50 states and D.C., after West Virginia reports first case; U.S. death toll passes 100. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/03/17/coronavirus-latest-news/. Published March 18, 2020. Accessed March 21, 2020.
    1. Clinical Management of Severe Acute Respiratory Infection When Novel Coronavirus (nCoV) Infection Is Suspected. World Health Organization; https://www.who.int/publications-detail/clinical-management-of-severe-ac.... Accessed March 21, 2020.
    1. Yuen K‐S, Ye Z‐W, Fung S‐Y, Chan C‐P, Jin D‐Y. SARS‐CoV‐2 and COVID‐19: The most important research questions. Cell Biosci. 2020;10(1):40. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Fortin J. That ‘Miracle Cure’ You Saw on Facebook? It Won't Stop the Coronavirus. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/health/coronavirus-cure-gargle-water..... Published March 18, 2020. Accessed March 24, 2020.
    1. Myth busters. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-f.... Accessed March 19, 2020.