Ivermectin Derivatives: A Pivotal Anti COVID-19 Drug Molecules Blocking the Manifestation of Coronavirus

Abstract

In early December 2019, an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by a novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), occurred in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China. Notably, on January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak as a pandemic and is of International Concern. Perceived risk of acquiring disease has led many governments to issue control measures. Recently, numerous studies demonstrated the drug molecules controlling the COVID-19 are ongoing and some have reached to the clinical trial phase III. However, none of them are worthy in controlling the corona virus. We hypothesized that derivatives of FDA approved drugs Ivermectin may block the manifestation of Coronavirus. Here, we used MTT assay to check damage levels in the lung’s cells affected with coronavirus. In conclusion, we showed that derivatives of Ivermectin, an FDA approved drugs possess a powerful efficacy as an anti-COVID-19 drugs.