Review article
COVID-19 treatment: Much research and testing, but far, few magic bullets against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmech.2020.112647Get rights and content

Highlights

  • The current investigation of small molecule drugs as promising medicine for COVID-19 is discussed.

  • Examination and comparative analysis of the physicochemical descriptors of approved and experimental drugs selected for COVID-19 treatment could be useful for antiviral drug optimization, drug combination tactic.

  • Among 14 selected potential drugs based on small heterocyclic molecules, no molecule is “ideal” according to the Lipinski-Veber rules and bioactivity scores.

  • Drug combination based on a hybridization concept could be a useful and efficient approach in the creation of an antiviral molecule hybrid drug against SARS-CoV-2.

Abstract

The new virus of the of β-Coronaviruses genus, SARS-CoV-2, is the causative agent of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) and is winning a proverbial chess match against all players simultaneous, including physicians, clinicians, pathologists, doctors, scientists, economists, athletes and politicians. The COVID-19 outbreak has seriously threatened public health, killing the most vulnerable persons and causing general panic. To stop this disease, effective remedies (i.e., drugs, vaccines, personal protection elements, etc.) are urgently required. Unfortunately, no registered specific therapies (including antiviral therapies, immune-modulating agents and vaccines) are currently available to treat coronavirus infections, highlighting an urgent need for therapeutics targeting SARS-CoV-2. In this work, fourteen existing small molecule drugs or/and experimental drugs selected by experts and examined from the point of view of bioavailability via the Lipinski-Veber rules and assessment of their physicochemical descriptors. The aim of this study is to discover selected pattern similarities and peculiar characteristics that could be useful for antiviral drug optimization, drug combination or new antiviral agent design.

Keywords

SARS-CoV-2
Antiviral drugs
COVID-19
In silico ADMET properties
Lipinski’s parameters
Bioactivity scores

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