Therapeutic Drugs for SARS-CoV-2 Treatment: Current State and Perspective

Joshua Adedeji, Bolarin; Mercy Adaramodu, Oluwatoyosi; Iseoluwa Orege, Joshua; Emmanuel Ayodeji, Ayeni; Yusuf Ajibola, Ibrahim; Sherif Babatunde, Adeyemi; Bolaji Tiamiyu, Bashir; Lanre Anthony, Gbadegesin; Oluwadara Akinyemi, Toluwanimi; Kenneth Odoh, Chuks; Ijeoma Umeobi, Happiness; Adenike Bernice-Eloise, Adeoye

The disease caused by viral pneumonia called severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type-2 (SARS-CoV-2) declared by the World Health Organization is a global pandemic that the world has witnessed since the last epidemic of Ebola, SARS and MERS viruses. Many chemical compounds with antiviral activity are currently undergoing clinical investigation in a bid to finding a potent therapy for treating infected patients. On-going drug-drug interaction examinations on new, existing, and repurposed antiviral drugs are yet to provide adequate safety, toxicological, and effective monitoring protocols. This review, therefore, presents an overview of direct and indirect antiviral drugs, antibiotics, and immune-stimulant drugs used in the management of SARS-CoV-2. It also seeks to outline the recent development of drugs with anti-coronavirus effects; their mono and combination therapy in managing the disease vis-Ã -vis their biological sources and chemistry. Co-administration of these drugs and their interactions were discussed to provide significant insight into how adequate monitoring of patients towards effective health management could be achieved.