The Coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, is a contagious airborne disease that has been recently discovered. Since its launch, it has killed a large sum of victims and caused multiple countries to go on a lock-down. The threat level for this disease is so much that the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared it a pandemic. Similarly to SARS, Coronavirus typically attacks a human’s respiratory system and can cause it to collapse through out-of-the-hand mucus development.
And since this is a newly discovered virus, there is no current treatment or vaccine developed yet. Drug developing and biotech companies are currently on the hot seat for creating a cure or vaccine for this virus.
And while advancement in technology is currently making the process go faster, it might not be soon enough for many victims. The good news is that many countries such as India are now repurposing some already discovered medicine available in the pharmaceutical marketplace on Coronavirus patients.
On some people, these medications are helping to speed up the recovery process. Biotech and drug developing countries may likely introduce these medications as pipeline treatments for Coronavirus. These drugs are described as follows:
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Hydroxychloroquine
Hydroxychloroquine is an agent that is a heme polymerase inhibitor. It is commonly used to treat conditions such as lupus, malaria, and rheumatoid arthritis. Currently, it is being evaluated to see if it can be used to improve the symptoms of COVID-19.
In theory, this drug seems to block viral infections by increasing the endosomal pH that is necessary for virus or cell fusion. It then interferes with the duplication of virus’ receptors. The drug is also useful in helping enhance the antibodies in the human body.
There is now an ongoing study that is being concluded to find out what the clinical outcome is against the Coronavirus. However, the study is not set to conclude until February 2021. The Chinese guidelines recommend the use of chloroquine phosphate 500 mg at least twice a day. This prescription has been recommended for ten days.
Remdesivir
Remdesivir is an agent that is currently receiving the most attention in the media. This nucleoside inhibitor, also known as the monophosphoramidate prodrug, can work against several RNA virus families. It was also used to treat the deadly Ebola disease. In theory, this drug works by going into the RNA chains of the virus and causes it to terminate prematurely.
Currently, it is hoped that the studies of efficiently and safety of Remdesivir get concluded within a few months rather than several years. For now, it is unknown whether or not the drug can virtually terminate Coronavirus completely.
Favipiravir
Favipiravir is another antiviral that was previously approved for clinical use against viruses such as influenza. Now, it is being tested for working against COVID-19 through clinical trials on patients that have been infected with the virus.
Baloxavir
Also known as an efficient anti-viral against influenza, Baloxavir is a drug that is currently being clinically trialed for the treatment of Coronavirus. Even WHO identifies it as one of the drugs that will be useful in eradicating Coronavirus.
Corticosteroids
Corticosteroids are used in the treatment for MERS and SARS and are now being clinically tested for treatment against COVID-19. While it can help against the virus, some companies are raising concerns as this drug takes a lot of time to get cleared from the respiratory tract after eliminating the virus’s RNA.
The side effects of this drug can include an increase in diabetic symptoms and psychosis. WHO is suggesting against the using corticosteroids on patients, unless there is enough evidence for its eligibility.
Conclusion
While the rise of infections around the world is not something new, it has been quite a long time since a potential cure for a viral infection was not available as quickly. Many biotech and drug production companies are working to form a cure for this COVID-19 by checking different drugs and performing a clinical trial.
It might take several months or even years before a proper cure is completed. However, for now, multiple countries are also working towards finding an alternative drug to work against the virus and save as many people as possible, while also helping pharmaceutical companies to get a better stand in the current market.
The good news is that as compared to the past, the world is now more advanced in the medical field and is working at a quick pace to produce an effective and safe treatment against Coronavirus. And while the drugs above still need to be clinically approved for the treatment of COVID-19, many doctors and WHO are standing behind them as pipeline treatment.
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