The world is warped under the deadly coronavirus and till now we have nothing substantial to cure or prevent the people from this novel. Researchers are hard at work developing potential treatments or vaccines for the virus. Italy is the worst-hit, as the country has recorded 793 new deaths and 6,557 new cases in one single day from coronavirus taking country's toll to 4,825. Globally, over 3,07,625 COVID-19 cases have been reported to date with 13,050 deaths.Although, there are no FDA-approved treatments against the virus, several scientists and experts are working on drugs at could treat the COVID-19 affected patients.
Here are four anti-viral drugs scientist are work to cure COVID-19:
Remdesivir, anti-Ebola drug
One potential short-term solution is remdesivir, an experimental anti-viral drug that was previously tested as a treatment for ebola. Currently, the drug is being tested in patients who have severe to moderate cases of COVID-19. Remdesivir was developed by Gilead Sciences, a large biotechnology company. The company has been working on the drug since 2009.
Kaleta, an HIV drug
Another option is Kaleta, a HIV drug which is currently under trial testing. The drug was manufactured by AbbVie. But considering early research, the effectiveness of the drug has been disappointing. According to media reports, Chinese scientists found in a study that the drug reduces the didn't improve patient mortality rate.
Meanwhile, Australian scientists point out that after combining the drug with Chloroquine, some COVID-19 affected patients recovered.
Chloroquine, anti-malarial drug
US President Donald Trump has highlighted the anti-malarial durg Chloroquine as the potential cure for coronavirus. The drug was approved by FDA following World War II. Early research shows that the drug may fight COVID-19, if it is confirmed it can be a cheap and scalable solution. However, clinical trials are underway.
Monoclonal antibodies
Several scientists are trying to develop preventive treatments in the form of monoclonal antibodies. It is a type of protein that uses natural immune system functions to neutralize viruses. Back in January, shares of the obscure company Vir Biotechnology soared following an announcement it was working on such a treatment for the virus.
Even though these option may offer short-term and medium term solutions, the development of a vaccines for coronavirus can take months. As per reports, top US health officials have estimated the timeline at 12 to 18 months to determine if a vaccine is safe anf effective against COVID-19.
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