03/01/2020
From an article in the journal Nature, a number of drugs are being studied as therapies to combat coronavirus infections. Although none has been approved by the FDA or other agencies, some are being studied (all in China) because of promising activity in limiting or disrupting the virus. Here's an excerpt from Nature's analysis:
"Most of the drugs in clinical trials (Table 1) inhibit key components of the coronavirus infection lifecycle. These include viral entry into the host cell (blocked by umifenovir, chloroquine or interferon), viral replication (blocked by lopinavir/ritonavir, ASC09 or darunavir/cobicistat, which inhibit the 3C-like protease (3CLpro)) and viral RNA synthesis (inhibited by remdesivir, favipiravir, emtricitabine/tenofovir alafenamide or ribavirin). The genomic sequence of the SARS-CoV-2 suggests that there is a high level of sequence similarity between the SARS-CoV-2, SARS and MERS proteins involved in the replication cycle.
Targeting viral cellular entry via the spike glycoprotein, which mediates the virus–cell receptor interaction, is another option for repurposing. SARS-CoV-2 uses angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and the cellular protease transmembrane protease serine 2 (TMPRSS2) to enter target cells. The marketed TMPRSS2 inhibitor camostat mesylate blocked cellular entry of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to an unpublished preprint. And the Janus-associated kinase (JAK) inhibitor Olumiant (baricitinib), approved for rheumatoid arthritis, was identified using machine learning algorithms on the basis of its inhibition of ACE2-mediated endocytosis. Another JAK inhibitor, Jakafi (ruxolitinib), is in trials (combined with mesenchymal stem cell infusion) for COVID-19."
Read more here:
Existing antivirals and knowledge gained from the SARS and MERS outbreaks gain traction as the fastest route to fight the current coronavirus epidemic.
