COVID-19 is currently affecting more than 8 million people worldwide. While the spread has been contained in some countries, the lack of an actual treatment puts many patients at risk of death and long-term injury. Although infected people can develop antibodies and overcome this disease, many young and old are not able to fight back.

Since developing an effective drug can take several years, scientists have been looking at drugs currently in the market that could be repurpose to treat COVID-19 patients. Are there any that have been successful or at least show potential?

The answer is yes and no. In only a week, three drugs put forward for the treatment of the novel coronavirus have changed paths. The first one, hydroxychloroquine, is an antimalarial drug. Once authorized for emergency use by the FDA, this drug is been now revoked as a treatment for COVID-19. The FDA has said that there is no evidence that ensures that oral administration of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine may be effective in treating the disease. On the other hand there is evidence that it could instead pose heart risks for some patients. 

The second is remdesivir, an antiviral drug. This drug, currently approved for emergency use by FDA, has shown only moderate potency with no statistically significant effect on deaths. However, detailed studies have revealed a very specific mechanism of action by blocking the viral machinery in charge of its replication. Gilead Sciences, the company who makes this drug, is looking at ways to make this drug viable to be inhaled as a powder or injected subcutaneously. Remdesivir is currently administered intravenously as it cannot be degraded in the liver.

Lastly, as of June 16, dexamethasone, a steroidal drug, has shown to save lives of severely ill patients. This widely available and cheap drug was the only one in a pool of five treatments included in the RECOVERY trial that show a statistical decrease the number of deaths in one of the world’s biggest randomized trials. This new finding is considered a breakthrough and offers some hope as this medicine is widely available in pharmaceutical shelves worldwide.