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Evaluation of Current Therapies for COVID-19 Treatment Sethi, Atin; Bach, Horacio

Abstract

The virus SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19, is responsible for more than 400,000 deaths worldwide as of 10 June 2020. As a result of its recent appearance (December 2019), an efficacious treatment is not yet available. Although considered a lung infection since its emergence, COVID-19 is now causing multiple organ failure, requiring a continuous adjustment in the procedures. In this review, we summarize the current literature surrounding unproven therapies for COVID-19. Analyses of the clinical trials were grouped as chemotherapy, serotherapy, anticoagulant, and the use of human recombinant soluble ACE2 therapies. We conclude that, while no agent has hit the threshold for quality of evidence to demonstrate efficacy and safety, preliminary data show potential benefits. Moreover, there is a possibility for harm with these unproven therapies, and the decision to treat should be based on a comprehensive risk–benefit analysis.

Item Metadata

Title
Evaluation of Current Therapies for COVID-19 Treatment
Creator
Sethi, Atin; Bach, Horacio
Publisher
Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued
2020-07-22
Description
The virus SARS-CoV-2, the etiological agent of COVID-19, is responsible for more than 400,000 deaths worldwide as of 10 June 2020. As a result of its recent appearance (December 2019), an efficacious treatment is not yet available. Although considered a lung infection since its emergence, COVID-19 is now causing multiple organ failure, requiring a continuous adjustment in the procedures. In this review, we summarize the current literature surrounding unproven therapies for COVID-19. Analyses of the clinical trials were grouped as chemotherapy, serotherapy, anticoagulant, and the use of human recombinant soluble ACE2 therapies. We conclude that, while no agent has hit the threshold for quality of evidence to demonstrate efficacy and safety, preliminary data show potential benefits. Moreover, there is a possibility for harm with these unproven therapies, and the decision to treat should be based on a comprehensive risk–benefit analysis.
Subject
COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; SARS-CoV; MERS; therapies; antivirals; clinical trials
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2020-08-24
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
CC BY 4.0
DOI
10.14288/1.0392934
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/75659
Affiliation
Medicine, Faculty of; Infectious Diseases, Division of; Medicine, Department of
Citation
Microorganisms 8 (8): 1097 (2020)
Publisher DOI
10.3390/microorganisms8081097
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Rights URI
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository
DSpace

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CC BY 4.0