69 experimental COVID-19 drugs, treatments identified

Alia Paavola -

Sixty-nine drugs and experimental compounds may be effective in treating COVID-19, a team of researchers found, according to The New York Times.

To identify the drug candidates, researchers studied the genes of the novel coronavirus and how it infects human cells. The study was published on  bioRxiv, a website for preprinted biology studies, and the researchers have submitted it to a journal for publication. 

The researchers identified 69 drug candidates, 24 of which already are FDA-approved to treat other diseases such as cancer, Parkinson's disease and hypertension.

Other drug candidates on the list include haloperidol, used to treat schizophrenia, and metformin, used by patients to help manage Type 2 diabetes.

The list also includes drug candidates that are in clinical trials, antibiotics that kill bacteria by targeting how they build proteins, and chloroquine, an antimalarial drug.

Chloroquine has received a lot of attention since last week, when President Donald Trump called the drug a "game changer" for COVID-19 at a news briefing at the White House.  

Anthony Fauci, MD,  director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, added a warning that there was only "anecdotal evidence" that chloroquine could help treat COVID-19, according to the report. 

View the full list of 69 drug candidates, compounds here. 

 

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