Promising COVID-19 Treatments

In America alone, we have 645,621 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 52,736 of them have recovered. More and more countries are also reporting improvements when it comes to their statistics. We are slowly flattening the curve. The attempts to address this pandemic are working. The effects of installations of more testing centers, implementation of community quarantine, as well as the dissemination of information on how to protect ourselves from the illness are becoming obvious.

The world has been desperately tackling the fight against this infectious disease and everyone seems to contribute to it. Individuals are becoming more conscious of disinfecting their hands and environment. Companies have donated resources to affected communities. Our people on the front lines have sacrificed time and effort to take good care of the needs of the sick and those who are confined in their own houses. 

We are so blessed to be living in a time wherein we can get as much information as we need to help achieve our goals faster. The scientific and health society is working so hard in finding weapons and shields against this contagion.

But where are we now? What are the statuses of these attempts?

As of today, April 17, 2020, 399 clinical types of research were identified by ClinicalTrials.gov that studies treatments, vaccines, and evaluates existing pharmaceutical products for COVID-19.

Promising Treatments for COVID-19

To speed up the process of treating people infected with the disease, scientists have resorted to testing the use of alternative drugs that help other illnesses. Examples include

• A drug that is formulated for rheumatoid arthritis, Sarilumab
• Another drug that targets parasites, Ivermectin
• Originally developed to combat Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Leronlimab
• A bacteria killer derived from another antibiotic, Azithromycin, available online on Medicine Direct
• Anti-cancer medication that treats acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome, Bevacizumab
• Treatment for multiple sclerosis, Fingolimod

 

More Drugs being Proposed for COVID-19 Treatment

 

Avigan or favipiravir

Actions: This is a refurbished drug. Originally, it was made to treat influenza but was noted to have safely treated more than three hundred COVID-19 patients from China. It was also reported that this drug can help relieve symptoms of flu-like fever and coughs faster.

Route: There are two types of formulas for this drug, oral and intravenous.

Chloroquine

Actions: A malarial and amebicide drug that was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. The action of this drug is to destroy the virus’ capability to penetrate the nucleus of normal cells. With that, it cannot copy and replicate the RNA necessary to interact with other cells. This is one of the drugs that help suppress the outbreak of SARS in 2002. Chloroquine is normally given with another derivative, hydroxychloroquine.

Route: This is given orally

EIDD-2801

Actions: This drug mutates the ribonucleic acid of the virus eventually preventing it to mutate with other cells that it normally affects.

Route: Taken orally

Lopinavir

Actions: This drug has been combined with ritonavir to become more effective. Although it was purposely made to fight another virus, the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, Lopinavir has been noted to block the action of a protein of the virus, eventually deforming it and losing its power to affect normal cells.

Route: Prepared in tablets or solutions given orally

In no time, there is a significant increase in chances of finding the cure for COVID-19 given how advanced we are; scientifically, medically, and technologically speaking.

Remdesivir

Actions: Ramdesivir was created in an attempt to combat Ebola when it was a pandemic. However, it failed to target that specific illness. It was, later on, found that it can protect human cells from SARS or severe acute respiratory syndrome and MERS or Middle East respiratory syndrome. This drug tries to stop the virus from making replications, hence blocking its power to infect other cells.

Route: This drug is administered intravenously