With more than 255,294 cases and 10,456 death due to coronavirus all over the world, companies had been trying to develop drugs that can cure the COVID-19.
This is a guide for everyone concerned about what drugs and vaccines are in whatever stage of development and completion. These drugs in the list are novel medicines not retrofitted ones.
The drugs listed below are in order of what is close to approval, beginning with treatment in Phase 3 trials, then in Phase 1 studies and those which are just in preclinical development.
Most of the new drugs will be approved if found effective in the final testing to cure COVID-19.
1.Gilead Sciences
Approach: Treatment
Stage: Phase 3
Their drug remdesivir is in five clinical trials to find out how well it works. About 1,000 patients will be the test subjects for it. It will reduce fever and help cure symptoms in two weeks, as the best prognosis for its efficacy. Another goal is to check if the drug reverses the effects of the contagion.
2. Ascletis Pharma
Approach: Treatment
Stage: Phase 1
This pharma is testing a combo of anti-pathogens, one for HIV and also hepatitis C to cure patients. There are 11 patients with coronavirus-caused pneumonia, given a combo of danoprevir and ritonavir. All patients were cured of coronavirus-caused pneumonia but Ascletis Pharma does not have a bigger testing done yet.
3. Moderna Therapeutics
Approach: Vaccine
Stage: Phase 1
Moderna's approach was a fast creation of the drug in 42 days only, after the coronavirus sequencing. If their mRNA-1273 is deemed safe after a volunteer group, there will be more patients called in for testing their vaccine. Using a strand of RNA or mRNA to trigger the production of antibodies.
4. CanSino Biologics
Approach: Vaccine
Stage: Phase 1
One of the pharmas working on a vaccine with part of the coronavirus genetic code combined with a harmless virus that will spur the increased production of antibodies. China has approved trials and begins test soon.
5. Arcturus Therapeutics
Approach: Vaccine
Stage: Preclinical
The vaccine being developed depends on engineering RNA with encoded proteins. They load it to a nanoparticle as the delivery system. This is developed with Duke University using a better immune reaction and less does than mRNA.
6. BioNTech
Approach: Vaccine
Stage: Preclinical
Working on an mRNA vaccine for the novel coronavirus, clinical testing is targeted in April. They are using strand mRNA to produce anti-bodies similar to other pharma with the same kind of medicine. There are several deals with other pharma to produce this it if it works.
7. CureVac
Approach: Vaccine
Stage: Preclinical
Similar to other firms like Moderna, CureVac will have a sample for animal testing on April to a clinical study in summer. One of the goals is to allow vaccine production in the outbreak site with a special machine.
8. Eli Lilly
Approach: Treatment
Stage: Preclinical
Using the blood sample of a coronavirus survivor to develop an anti-pathogen, there are 500 anti-bodies that were detected which can be used against the virus . Human trials are slated in four months.
9. GlaxoSmithKline
Approach: Vaccine
Stage: Preclinical
The company is a method by injecting proteins to generate an immune reaction to the infection. There are still no details when trials will begin.
10. Inovio Pharmaceutical
Approach: Vaccine
Stage: Preclinical
The goal of Inovio is to develop a DNA vaccine that will encode instructions to make anti-bodies in the cell nullify coronavirus or COVID-19 infections.
There are more drugs and vaccines in development with different methods like mRNA, and using engineered DNA to produce anti-bodies too. This is list will an idea of what will be the earliest one out.
Related Article: First Coronavirus Vaccine by US Biotech Firm Moderna May Be Out Soon
