No abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) began churning out incredulous terror in December 2019. Within several months from its first detection in Wuhan, SARS-CoV-2 spread to the rest of the world through droplet infection, making it a pandemic situation and a healthcare emergency across the globe. The available treatment of COVID-19 was only symptomatic as the disease was new and no approved drug or vaccine was available. Another challenge with COVID-19 was the continuous mutation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Some repurposed drugs, such as hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, and remdesivir, received emergency use authorization in various countries, but their clinical use is compromised with either severe and fatal adverse effects or nonavailability of sufficient clinical data. Molnupiravir was the first molecule approved for the treatment of COVID-19, followed by Paxlovid™, monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), and others. New molecules have variable therapeutic efficacy against different variants or strains of SARS-CoV-2, which require further investigations. The aim of this review is to provide in-depth information on new molecules and repurposed drugs with emphasis on their general description, mechanism of action (MOA), correlates of protection, dose and dosage form, route of administration, clinical trials, regulatory approval, and marketing authorizations.

No abstract

Blood is a life saver in many emergencies like accidents or for the patients suffering from deadly diseases such as cancer and thalassemia. Conventionally, blood collection is done in five steps, i.e., recruitment, screening, physical examination, collection, and postdonation care. The huge demand of blood requires the implementation of smart approaches in the field of blood donation, which allows specific, measurable, achievable, and timely outcomes. This paper throws light on various smart approaches to motivate and attract people for blood donation. Gamification, social media, short message service, mobile applications, and other web-based applications are some of these approaches reviewed in this article. A number of platforms are also highlighted where one can seek potential donors or blood banks easily during urgency, avoiding the complex steps followed in traditional blood donation systems.