TY - JOUR
T1 - COVID-19 Therapeutics
T2 - Use, Mechanism of Action, and Toxicity (Xenobiotics)
AU - Chary, Michael A.
AU - Barbuto, Alexander F.
AU - Izadmehr, Sudeh
AU - Tarsillo, Marc
AU - Fleischer, Eduardo
AU - Burns, Michele M.
N1 - Funding Information:
Dr. Izadmehr is supported by the Loan Repayment Program (National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health) and the T32 Cancer Biology Training Program (5T32CA078207, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health). Dr. Chary is supported by the Loan Repayment Program (National Institute for Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2022, American College of Medical Toxicology.
PY - 2023/1
Y1 - 2023/1
N2 - SARS-CoV-2 emerged in 2019 and led to the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts to develop therapeutics against SARS-Cov-2 led to both new treatments and attempts to repurpose existing medications. Here, we provide a narrative review of the xenobiotics and alternative remedies used or proposed to treat COVID-19. Most repositioned xenobiotics have had neither the feared toxicity nor the anticipated efficacy. Repurposed viral replication inhibitors are not efficacious and frequently associated with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Antiviral medications designed specifically against SARS-CoV-2 may prevent progression to severe disease in at-risk individuals and appear to have a wide therapeutic index. Colloidal silver, zinc, and ivermectin have no demonstrated efficacy. Ivermectin has a wide therapeutic index but is not efficacious and acquiring it from veterinary sources poses additional danger. Chloroquine has a narrow therapeutic index and no efficacy. A companion review covers vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and immunotherapies. Together, these two reviews form an update to our 2020 review.
AB - SARS-CoV-2 emerged in 2019 and led to the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts to develop therapeutics against SARS-Cov-2 led to both new treatments and attempts to repurpose existing medications. Here, we provide a narrative review of the xenobiotics and alternative remedies used or proposed to treat COVID-19. Most repositioned xenobiotics have had neither the feared toxicity nor the anticipated efficacy. Repurposed viral replication inhibitors are not efficacious and frequently associated with nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Antiviral medications designed specifically against SARS-CoV-2 may prevent progression to severe disease in at-risk individuals and appear to have a wide therapeutic index. Colloidal silver, zinc, and ivermectin have no demonstrated efficacy. Ivermectin has a wide therapeutic index but is not efficacious and acquiring it from veterinary sources poses additional danger. Chloroquine has a narrow therapeutic index and no efficacy. A companion review covers vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and immunotherapies. Together, these two reviews form an update to our 2020 review.
KW - Alternative remedies
KW - COVID-19
KW - Misinformation
KW - Xenobiotics
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85144128082&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s13181-022-00918-y
DO - 10.1007/s13181-022-00918-y
M3 - Review article
AN - SCOPUS:85144128082
SN - 1556-9039
VL - 19
SP - 26
EP - 36
JO - Journal of Medical Toxicology
JF - Journal of Medical Toxicology
IS - 1
ER -