Open AccessOld drugs for a new indication: a review of chloroquine and analogue in COVID-19 treatment
Author(s) -
Teddy Ehianeta,
R. O. Akinyeye,
Joshua Iseoluwa Orege,
Onome Ejeromedoghene,
Adeniyi Philip Adebule,
Bright O. Okonkwo
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
porto biomedical journal/porto biomedical journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2444-8672
pISSN - 2444-8664
DOI - 10.1097/j.pbj.0000000000000132
Subject(s) - hydroxychloroquine , repurposing , medicine , drug repositioning , chloroquine , covid-19 , drug , clinical trial , pharmacology , pandemic , intensive care medicine , disease , infectious disease (medical specialty) , malaria , immunology , ecology , biology
As an innovative therapeutic strategy, drug repurposing affords old, approved, and already established drugs a chance at new indications. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanied urgency for a lasting treatment, drug repurposing has come in handy to stem the debilitating effects of the disease. Among other therapeutic options currently in clinical trials, chloroquine (CQ) and the hydroxylated analogue, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) have been frontline therapeutic options in most formal and informal clinical settings with varying degrees of efficacy against this life-threatening disease. Their status in randomized clinical trials is related to the biochemical and pharmacological profiles as validated by in vitro, in vivo and case studies. With the aim to bear a balance for their use in the long run, this review not only synopsizes findings from recent studies on the degrees of efficacy and roles of CQ/HCQ as potential anti-COVID-19 agents but also highlights our perspectives for their consideration in rational drug repositioning and use.