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Review
. 2021 Nov 8;18(21):11711.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph182111711.

Drug Interactions for Patients with Respiratory Diseases Receiving COVID-19 Emerged Treatments

Marios Spanakis  1   2 , Athina Patelarou  1 , Evridiki Patelarou  1 , Nikolaos Tzanakis  3
Affiliations
Review

Drug Interactions for Patients with Respiratory Diseases Receiving COVID-19 Emerged Treatments

Marios Spanakis et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Pandemic of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is still pressing the healthcare systems worldwide. Thus far, the lack of available COVID-19-targeted treatments has led scientists to look through drug repositioning practices and exploitation of available scientific evidence for potential efficient drugs that may block biological pathways of SARS-CoV-2. Till today, several molecules have emerged as promising pharmacological agents, and more than a few medication protocols are applied during hospitalization. On the other hand, given the criticality of the disease, it is important for healthcare providers, especially those in COVID-19 clinics (i.e., nursing personnel and treating physicians), to recognize potential drug interactions that may lead to adverse drug reactions that may negatively impact the therapeutic outcome. In this review, focusing on patients with respiratory diseases (i.e., asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) that are treated also for COVID-19, we discuss possible drug interactions, their underlying pharmacological mechanisms, and possible clinical signs that healthcare providers in COVID-19 clinics may need to acknowledge as adverse drug reactions due to drug-drug interactions.

Keywords: ADRs; COPD; COVID-19; drug-drug interactions; healthcare personnel; nursing personnel; respiratory diseases.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Classification of available medical options for COVID-19 emerged treatments based on available evidence hierarchy.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Potential ADRs for COVID-19 patients with respiratory disorders and evaluation tools regarding causality assessment (Naranjo scale interpretation of scores: ≥9 definite, 5–8 probable, 1–4 possible, ≤0 doubtful).
Figure 3
Figure 3
The importance of appropriate management of symptoms or ADEs for a COVID-19 patient and how healthcare professionals can actively participate in the analysis of different clinical scenarios, so regulatory can provide relative feedbacks improving clinical protocols.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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