The global effort to combat and contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is now proceeding on a war footing. The world was slow to react to the developing crisis, but once the contours of the impending calamity became evident, the different state and non-state actors have raced to put their act together. The COVID-19 outbreak has blatantly exposed the shortcomings of our healthcare system and the limitations of medical science, despite considerable advances in recent years. To effectively tackle the current epidemic, almost unprecedented in the modern era, there is an urgent need for a concerted, sustained, and coordinated effort towards the development of new diagnostics, therapeutic and vaccines, and the ramping up of the healthcare infrastructure, especially in the poorer, underprivileged nations. Towards this end, researchers around the world are working tirelessly to develop new diagnostics, vaccines, and therapeutics. Efforts to develop a vaccine against COVID-19 are presently underway in several countries around the world, but a new vaccine is expected only by the end of the year-at the earliest. New drug development against COVID-19 and its approval may take even longer. Under such circumstances, drug repurposing has emerged as a realistic and effective strategy to counter the virus menace in the short run, and several antiviral and antimalarial medicines are currently in different stages of clinical trials. Researchers are also experimenting with nutrients, vitamins, monoclonal antibodies, and convalescent plasma as immunity boosters against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). This report presents a critical analysis of the global clinical trial landscape for COVID-19 with an emphasis on the therapeutic agents and vaccines currently being tested at pandemic speed.

Cannabis and its natural derivatives have emerged as promising therapeutics for multiple pathological and nonpathological medical conditions. For example, cannabinoids, the most popular and biologically active chemicals in cannabis, aid in many clinical ailments, including pain, inflammation, epilepsy, sleep disturbances or insomnia, multiple sclerosis, anorexia, schizophrenia, neurodegenerative diseases, anti­nausea, and most importantly, cancer. Despite the comprehensive benefits, certain aspects of cannabis present unique challenges in the medical cannabis landscape. Recent studies have highlighted the inherent challenges associated with cannabinoids' formulation like low solubility, rapid metabolism, poor bioavailability, and erratic pharmacokinetics – all of which contribute to the limited efficacy of cannabinoids. Several efforts are underway to address the bottlenecks and modify the formulations along with the delivery systems to achieve greater solubility/bioavailability, potency, and efficacy in treatment settings while minding the necessary standards for purity associated with the pharmaceutical industry. The current article presents a perspective on (1) a working knowledge of cannabinoids and their mechanisms of action, (2) the landscape of using medicinal cannabis for cancer-related medical conditions along with adversities, (3) current approaches, formulations, and challenges in medicinal cannabis delivery systems (oral, transdermal, pulmonary, and transmucosal), and lastly, (4) emerging approaches to improve delivery systems.

: Currently, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has transformed into a severe public health crisis and wreaking havoc worldwide. The ongoing pandemic has exposed the public healthcare system's weaknesses and highlighted the urgent need for investments in scientific programs and policies. A comprehensive program utilizing the science and technologydriven strategies combined with well-resourced healthcare organizations appears to be essential for current and future outbreak management.