Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 rapidly spread from China until it was defined a pandemic by WHO in March 2020. Related scientific papers have rapidly extended information regarding the diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of COVID-19 infection. To date, no vaccine or definitive treatment is available to defeat the virus and therapies are mainly based on existing drugs used to treat other conditions. Existing therapies used in several clinical trials work by affecting the biology of COVID-19 and/or counteracting the harmful host excessive immune response. Here, we have reviewed 526 ongoing clinical trials for COVID-19 to provide a perspective on the first 6 months of global efforts to identify an effective therapy. The drugs most actively tested in various centers include hydroxychloroquine, ritonavir, azithromycin, tocilizumab, lopinavir chloroquine and ivermectin. Our analysis shows that most clinical trials focus on a small number of candidate drugs (namely hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine representing 25% of total clinical trials) while underestimating the potential of other promising drugs. A global coordination in clinical trial management could avoid duplications and increase the effectiveness of the response to the global challenge.
Highlights
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has generated a global health issue
The current COVID-19 pandemic boosted the growth of new pharmaceutical research programs and the proliferation of a large number of clinical trials worldwide
Preliminary observations from a multicentric study, in a cohort of 53 patients hospitalized for severe Covid-19 who were treated with compassionate-use remdesivir, demonstrated clinical improvement in 68% of patients [15]
Summary
The outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has generated a global health issue. The great majority of clinical trials are focused on a small number of candidate drugs including, hydroxychloroquine, ritonavir, azithromycin, tocilizumab, lopinavir chloroquine and ivermectin [12], while potentially and more promising ones are less considered.
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