Abstract:
Background At the end of 2019, the new Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) strain causing severe acute respiratory
syndrome swept the world. From November 2019 till February 2021, this virus infected nearly 104 million, with more than
two million deaths and about 25 million active cases. This has prompted scientists to discover effective drugs to combat this
pandemic.
Area covered Drug repurposing is the magic bullet for treating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2).
Therefore, several drugs have been investigated in silico, in vitro, as well as through human trials such as anti-
SARS-CoV2 agents, or to prevent the complications resulting from the virus. In this review, the mechanisms of action of
different therapeutic strategies are summarized. According to the WHO, different classes of drugs can be used, including
anti-malarial, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-coagulant drugs, as well as angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors,
antibiotics, vitamins, zinc, neutralizing antibodies, and convalescent plasma therapy. Recently, there are some vaccines
which are approved against SARS-CoV2.
Expert opinion A complete understanding of the structure and function of all viral proteins that play a fundamental role
in viral infection, which contribute to the therapeutic intervention and the development of vaccine in order to reduce the
mortality rate.
