Recent Updates in Experimental Research and Clinical Evaluation on Drugs for COVID-19 Treatment

Abstract

Since the outbreak of corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Wuhan (China) in December 2019, the epidemic has rapidly spread to many countries around the world, posing a huge threat to global public health. In response to the pandemic, a number of clinical studies have been initiated to evaluate the effect of various treatments against COVID-19, combining medical strategies and clinical trial data from around the globe. Herein, we summarize the clinical evaluation about the drugs mentioned in this review for COVID-19 treatment. This review discusses the recent data regarding the efficacy of various treatments in COVID-19 patients, to control and prevent the outbreak.

Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant, salient features, high global health concerns and strategies to counter it amid ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

“…Several repurposed drugs including antivirals and immunotherapies (antibodies-based) have been suggested for use in emergency purposes to ameliorate the disease severity in patients with COVID-19, while many drugs and therapies are still under investigations and trials, however most appropriate choices are still awaited to define optimal COVID-19 treatment ( Bae et al, 2021 ; Rabaan et al, 2021 ; Zou et al, 2021 ; NIH, 2022 ). In this section, we are presenting some recent advances in drugs and therapies which could be suitable for Omicron.…”

Omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of SARS‐CoV‐2: Concerns, challenges, and recent updates

“…Various repurposed drugs, antivirals, and immunotherapies have been recommended for use in emergency purposes to lessen the disease severity in COVID‐19 patients, and many drugs and therapies are under development and clinical trials, however, the choice of drug and optimal treatment option is yet awaited. 77 , 78 , 79 Recently, the development of powerful oral antiviral drugs such as Molnupiravir (Lagevrio®) and Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir, PF‐07321332 + ritonavir ‐ Pfizer) have shown promising clinical results and raised new hopes of COVID‐19 treatment. These oral drugs could protect from serious illness and reduce hospitalization, and thus can help to change the course of the ongoing pandemic that is presently under severe threats of Omicron, Delta, and other variants.…”

“…Additionally, exploring more effective drugs and treatable options are the need of the hour. 77 , 78 , 79 , 88 , 89 …”

“…Additionally, exploring more effective drugs and treatable options are the need of the hour. [77][78][79]88,89 The airborne transmission and extensive environmental contamination associated with the Omicron variant have been demonstrated by Wong et al (2021), which may pose a greater challenge. 90 To maximize the flow rate of air exhaust, increase in fresh air supply, air purifiers in corridors, quarantine camp with in- Anti-NTD and anti-RBD monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), bamlanivimab, Imdevimab), broadly neutralizing sarbecovirus mAbs, cocktails 35,36 Negligible neutralization effect 35 Some neutralization effect 36 Non-RBD Abs 37 Almost no neutralizing effect 37 Almost no neutralizing effect Convalescent sera 35 Four to six-fold less effective neutralizing antibodies 35 More than eight-fold reduction in neutralizing antibodies 38 One-dose ChAdOx1 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) 35 Almost no neutralizing effect 35 Almost no neutralizing effect 39 Two-doses of ChAdOx1 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) vaccine 35 Considerable neutralization effect/protection 35 Almost no neutralizing effect 39 Two-dose of ChAdOx1 (Oxford/AstraZeneca) vaccinees 37 Some neutralization effect 37,40 Almost no neutralizing effect 39 Two-dose of BNT162b2 (Pfizer/BioNTech) vaccinees and CoronaVac (Sinovac) 37,41,42 Better neutralization effect as compared to ChAdOx1 vaccinees, 37 some neutralization effect, 41 can still cause breakthrough infections 41 Some/no neutralization effect 42 More than 40-fold reduction in neutralizing antibodies 43 One-dose Ad26.COV2.S vaccine (Johnson & Johnson-Janssen) …”

Selection of plasma donors for the production of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunoglobulin-based therapies: Strategies for quantitative antibody measurements

“…Even after two years of the emergence of the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, there is, to date, no proven specific therapy completely effective for this disease [1] , [2] . Although initially promising, the use of COVID-19 convalescent plasma (CCP) has not been effective in preventing disease progression for the majority of patients, as observed in the studies published to date [3] , [4] .…”