Repurposing Existing Drugs for the Treatment of COVID-19

Farne, Hugo; Kumar, Kartik; Ritchie, Andrew I.; Finney, Lydia J.; Johnston, Sebastian L.; Singanayagam, Aran

doi:10.1513/annalsats.202005-566fr

Cited by 18 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 77 publications

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“…Many studies of new treatments for severe COVID-19 have focused on new or repurposed antiviral drugs. [23][24][25][26][27] Compared with patients with mild disease, virus loads are higher in those with severe or fatal disease. 28,29 When clinical deterioration develops, however (usually in the second week of illness), virus loads are generally lower than when symptoms first developed.…”

Section: Treating Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients in Belgium treated with statins, ACE inhibitors and/or ARBs

Byttebier¹,

Belmans²,

Alexander

et al. 2021

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

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The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted life throughout the world. Newly developed vaccines promise relief to people who live in high-income countries, although vaccines and expensive new treatments are unlikely to arrive in time to help people who live in low-and middle-income countries. The pathogenesis of COVID-19 is characterized by endothelial dysfunction. Several widely available drugs like statins, ACE inhibitors (ACEIs) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) have immunometabolic activities that (among other things) maintain or restore endothelial cell function. For this reason, we undertook an observational study in four Belgian hospitals to determine whether in-hospital treatment with these drugs could improve survival in 959 COVID-19 patients. We found that treatment with statins and ACEIs/ARBs reduced 28-day mortality in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Moreover, combination treatment with these drugs resulted in a 3-fold reduction in the odds of hospital mortality (OR = 0.33; 95% CI 0.17–0.69). These findings were in general agreement with other published studies. Additional observational studies and clinical trials are needed to convincingly show that in-hospital treatment with statins, ACEIs/ARBs, and especially their combination saves lives.

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Section: Treating Covid-19mentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients in Belgium treated with statins, ACE inhibitors and/or ARBs

Byttebier¹,

Belmans²,

Alexander

et al. 2021

Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics

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show abstract

“…Existing drugs repurposed for COVID-19 infection have been reviewed by Farne et al [ 11 ] and classified into (1) antivirals, (2) promotors of innate antiviral response and (3) immunomodulatory/anti-inflammatory drugs. Drugs within these categories have reasonable likelihood of potential benefit, but the dose, dosing regimen, and precautions were not established for treatment of COVID-19 infections.…”

Section: The Eua and Drugs Repurposed For Covid-19 Infectionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Emergency Use Authorization of Pharmaceuticals: History and Utility During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Tran

Witek

2021

Pharm Med

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The Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) originated in 2004 because of the need for emergency medical countermeasures (MCMs) against potential bioterrorist attacks. The EUA also proved useful in dealing with subsequent pandemics and has emerged as a critical regulatory pathway for therapeutics and vaccines throughout the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. With the EUA process in the USA, we witnessed emergency authorizations, their expansions, as well as withdrawal of previously authorized products, which exemplifies the dynamic nature of scientific review of EUA products. EUAs proved vital for the first group of COVID-19 vaccines, including the temporary pause of one vaccine while emergency safety issues were evaluated. Although this review on the EUA is primarily focused on the USA, distinctions were made with other jurisdictions such as Europe and Canada with respect to the emergency authorizations of the vaccines. Finally, we discuss some important differences following EUA and formal new drug/vaccine application (NDA/BLA) approvals.

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“…People suffering from mild symptoms recover within two weeks of isolation while severe cases may require hospitalization and, in some cases, lead to death 7 . Currently, there is no cure for COVID-19 8 . Veklury (Remdesivir) is the only anti-viral drug that has received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.…”

Section: Covid-19 and Virtual Medicine Uptakementioning

confidence: 99%

A New Dimension of Health Care: The Benefits, Limitations and Implications of Virtual Medicine

Shah

Tomljenovic-Berube

2021

J Undergrad Life Sci

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Background: Virtual medicine has been rapidly evolving over the past several decades. However, obstacles such as data security, inadequate funding and limited technological resources have hindered its seamless incorporation into the health care system. The recent pandemic has induced a widespread adoption of virtual care practices to remove the need for physical meetings between patients and health care practitioners. Purpose: This literature review aims to examine the current state of virtual medicine amid the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate the benefits, limitations and implications of continuing technological advancements in the future. Findings: Most of the available literature suggests that the recent adoption of virtual medicine has allowed practitioners to cut down on costs and secondary expenses while maintaining the quality of medical care services. Due to the growing consumer demand, researchers predict that virtual medicine may be a viable modality for patient care post-pandemic. However, concerns surrounding patient security and digital infrastructure threaten the ability of virtual medicine to provide quality and effective health care. Additionally, rural virtual medicine programs face challenges in expanding services due to the scarcity of information and communication technology specialists and inadequate funding. Comprehensive legislation and governance standards must be implemented to ensure proper data security and privacy. Additional funds may also be required to train staff, reform current digital software and improve the quality of service. The proliferation of advanced technologies and improvements in current platforms will enable more providers to render virtual medical care services.

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Repurposing Existing Drugs for the Treatment of COVID-19

Cited by 18 publications

References 77 publications

Hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients in Belgium treated with statins, ACE inhibitors and/or ARBs

Hospital mortality in COVID-19 patients in Belgium treated with statins, ACE inhibitors and/or ARBs

The Emergency Use Authorization of Pharmaceuticals: History and Utility During the COVID-19 Pandemic

A New Dimension of Health Care: The Benefits, Limitations and Implications of Virtual Medicine

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