Can Existing FDA-approved Drugs Treat COVID-19?

FDA-approved drugs may help fight against COVID-19 as per a study at the Penn State, published in the journal Communications Biology.

The drugs were found to significantly reduce the ability of the Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 to replicate in human cells by inhibiting certain viral enzymes called proteases (essential for viral replication).

‘COVID-19 may be combatted by repurposing several FDA-approved drugs including those for type 2 diabetes, hepatitis C and HIV. ’

"The SARS-CoV-2 vaccines target the spike protein, but this protein is under strong selection pressure and, as we have seen with Omicron, can undergo significant mutations. There remains an urgent need for SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic agents that target parts of the virus other than the spike protein that are not as likely to evolve," says Joyce Jose, assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, Penn State.

The study team used their assay to test a library of 64 compounds including inhibitors of HIV, and hepatitis C proteases and enzymes involved in type 2 diabetes.

"The development of broad-spectrum antiviral drugs against a wide range of coronaviruses is the ultimate treatment strategy for circulating and emerging coronavirus infections. Our research shows that repurposing certain FDA-approved drugs that demonstrate effectiveness at inhibiting the activities of Mpro and PLpro may be a useful strategy in the fight against SARS-CoV-2," says, Jose.

Source: Medindia