Promising Repurposed Antiviral Molecules to Combat SARS-CoV-2: A Review

Abstract

COVID-19, an extremely transmissible and pathogenic viral disease, triggered a global pandemic that claimed lives worldwide. To date, there is no clear and fully effective treatment for COVID-19 disease. Nevertheless, the urgency to discover treatments that can turn the tide has led to the development of a variety of preclinical drugs that are potential candidates for probative results. Although most of these supplementary drugs are constantly being tested in clinical trials against COVID-19, recognized organizations have aimed to outline the prospects in which their use could be considered. A narrative assessment of current articles on COVID-19 disease and its therapeutic regulation was performed. This review outlines the use of various potential treatments against SARS-CoV-2, categorized as fusion inhibitors, protease inhibitors, and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitors, which include antiviral drugs such as Umifenovir, Baricitinib, Camostatmesylate, Nafamostatmesylate, Kaletra, Paxlovide, Darunavir, Atazanavir, Remdesivir, Molnupiravir, Favipiravir, and Ribavirin. To understand the virology of SARS-CoV-2, potential therapeutic approaches for the treatment of COVID-19 disease, synthetic methods of potent drug candidates, and their mechanisms of action have been addressed in this review. It intends to help readers approach the accessible statistics on the helpful treatment strategies for COVID-19 disease and to serve as a valuable resource for future research in this area.

Keywords: COVID-19; COVID-19 treatment; SARS-CoV-2; antiviral molecules; corona treatment; coronavirus.