Abstract
The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has created a global public health emergency. The pandemic is causing substantial morbidity, mortality and significant economic loss. Currently, no approved treatments for COVID-19 are available, and it is likely to takes at least 12-18 months to develop a new vaccine. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find new therapeutics that can be progressed to clinical development as soon as possible. Repurposing regulatory agency-approved drugs and experimental drugs with known safety profiles can provide important repositories of compounds that can be fast-tracked to clinical development. Globally, over 500 clinical trials involving repurposed drugs have been registered, and over 150 have been initiated, including some backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This review is intended as a guide to research into small-molecule therapies to treat COVID-19; it discusses the SARS-CoV-2 infection cycle and identifies promising viral therapeutic targets, reports on a number of promising pre-approved small-molecule drugs with reference to over 150 clinical trials worldwide, and offers a perspective on the future of the field.
Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, drug discovery, small-molecule therapeutics, clinical trials.
Current Medicinal Chemistry
Title:Current Trends and Future Approaches in Small-Molecule Therapeutics for COVID-19
Volume: 28 Issue: 19
Author(s): Mark Laws, Yasmin M. Surani, Md. Mahbub Hasan, Yiyuan Chen, Peiqin Jin, Taha Al-Adhami, Madiha Chowdhury, Aqeel Imran, Ioannis Psaltis, Shirin Jamshidi, Kazi S. Nahar and Khondaker Miraz Rahman*
Affiliation:
- Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King’s College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 9NH,United Kingdom
Keywords: COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, coronavirus, drug discovery, small-molecule therapeutics, clinical trials.
Abstract: The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has created a global public health emergency. The pandemic is causing substantial morbidity, mortality and significant economic loss. Currently, no approved treatments for COVID-19 are available, and it is likely to takes at least 12-18 months to develop a new vaccine. Therefore, there is an urgent need to find new therapeutics that can be progressed to clinical development as soon as possible. Repurposing regulatory agency-approved drugs and experimental drugs with known safety profiles can provide important repositories of compounds that can be fast-tracked to clinical development. Globally, over 500 clinical trials involving repurposed drugs have been registered, and over 150 have been initiated, including some backed by the World Health Organisation (WHO). This review is intended as a guide to research into small-molecule therapies to treat COVID-19; it discusses the SARS-CoV-2 infection cycle and identifies promising viral therapeutic targets, reports on a number of promising pre-approved small-molecule drugs with reference to over 150 clinical trials worldwide, and offers a perspective on the future of the field.
Export Options
About this article
Cite this article as:
Laws Mark , Surani M. Yasmin , Hasan Mahbub Md. , Chen Yiyuan , Jin Peiqin , Al-Adhami Taha , Chowdhury Madiha , Imran Aqeel , Psaltis Ioannis , Jamshidi Shirin , Nahar S. Kazi and Rahman Miraz Khondaker *, Current Trends and Future Approaches in Small-Molecule Therapeutics for COVID-19, Current Medicinal Chemistry 2021; 28(19) . https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929867327666200721161840
DOI https://dx.doi.org/10.2174/0929867327666200721161840 |
Print ISSN 0929-8673 |
Publisher Name Bentham Science Publisher |
Online ISSN 1875-533X |

- Author Guidelines
- Editorial Policies
- Graphical Abstracts
- Fabricating and Stating False Information
- Research Misconduct
- Post Publication Discussions and Corrections
- Allegations from Whistleblowers
- Publishing Ethics and Rectitude
- Increase Visibility Of Your Article
- Archiving Policies
- Reviewer Guidelines
- Guest Editor Guidelines
- Board Recruitment Workflow
- Peer Review Workflow
- Order Your Article Before Print
- Promote Your Article
- Manuscript Transfer Facility
- Announcements
- Forthcoming Thematic Issues
Related Articles
-
Facts and Myths: Efficacies of Repurposing Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine for the Treatment of COVID-19
Current Drug Targets Evidence and the Main Adverse Effects Regarding Drug Therapies in the War Against COVID-19
Current Medicinal Chemistry A Perspective on the Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Basic Science Research and its Future Implications
Coronaviruses Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and Pregnancy: A Hypothetical View
Endocrine, Metabolic & Immune Disorders - Drug Targets Possible Benefits of Reformulating Antiviral Drugs with Nanoemulsion System in the Treatment of Novel Coronavirus Infection
Coronaviruses Novel Corona-Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Perilous Life- Threatening Epidemic
Coronaviruses An Overview of the Treatment Contributions Measured Globally for the COVID-19 Outbreak
Coronaviruses Design, Synthesis, and Biological Evaluation of Novel C5-Modified Pyrimidine Ribofuranonucleosides as Potential Antitumor or/and Antiviral Agents
Medicinal Chemistry Diagnostic Value of Chest CT in Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Current Medical Imaging Possible Therapeutic Interventions in COVID-19 Induced ARDS by Cotinine as an ACE-2 Promoter and AT-1R Blocker
Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets Coronavirus-related Disease Pandemic: A Review on Machine Learning Approaches and Treatment Trials on Diagnosed Population for Future Clinical Decision Support
Current Medical Imaging Perspectives for the Use of N-acetylcysteine as a Candidate Drug to Treat COVID-19
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Use of Natural Compounds as a Potential Therapeutic Agent Against COVID-19
Current Pharmaceutical Design A Mini Review on Emerging Targets and Approaches for the Synthesis of Anti-viral Compounds: In Perspective to COVID-19
Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry Is COVID-19 a Systemic Disease?
Coronaviruses Balancing Science and Art in Medicine: COVID-19 and the Necessary Humanistic Shift in Medical Care
Current Women`s Health Reviews Novel Coronavirus in India and Outbreaks Around World: A Statistical Analysis of Odisha, India and the World
Coronaviruses COVID-19 and Infectious Disease Speciality - A Necessity of Time in India
Infectious Disorders - Drug Targets A Brief Outlook on Possible Available Solutions, Therapies and Suggestions for COVID-19
Coronaviruses COVID-19: Our Current Knowledge of Epidemiology, Pathology, Therapeutic Approaches, and Diagnostic Methods
Anti-Cancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry