In a new study, researchers have found 21 existing drugs that stop the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
They analyzed one of the world’s largest collections of known drugs for their ability to block the replication of SARS-CoV-2, and reported 100 molecules with confirmed antiviral activity in laboratory tests.
Of these, 21 drugs were determined to be effective at concentrations that could be safely achieved in patients.
Notably, four of these compounds were found to work synergistically with remdesivir, a current standard-of-care treatment for COVID-19.
The research was conducted by a team at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute and elsewhere.
The team says drug remdesivir has proven successful at shortening the recovery time for patients in the hospital, but the drug doesn’t work for everyone who receives it.
As infection rates continue to rise in America and around the world, the urgency remains to find affordable, effective, and readily available drugs that can complement the use of remdesivir, as well as drugs that could be given prophylactically or at the first sign of infection on an outpatient basis.
In the study, the researcher performed extensive testing and validation studies, including evaluating the drugs on human lung biopsies that were infected with the virus, evaluating the drugs for synergies with remdesivir, and establishing dose-response relationships between the drugs and antiviral activity.
Of the 21 drugs that were effective at blocking viral replication, the scientists found:
13 drugs have previously entered clinical trials for other indications and are effective at concentrations, or doses, that could potentially be safely achieved in COVID-19 patients.
Two are already FDA approved: astemizole (allergies), clofazamine (leprosy), and remdesivir has received Emergency Use Authorization from the agency (COVID-19).
Four worked synergistically with remdesivir, including the chloroquine derivative hanfangchin A (tetrandrine), an antimalarial drug that has reached Phase 3 clinical trials.
The researchers are currently testing all 21 compounds in small animal models and “mini lungs,” or lung organoids, that mimic human tissue.
If these studies are favorable, the team will approach the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to discuss a clinical trial(s) evaluating the drugs as treatments for COVID-19.
One author of the study is Sumit Chanda, Ph.D.
The study is published in Nature.
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