Tackling SARS-CoV-2: proposed targets and repurposed drugs

Abstract

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, declared as a global health emergency by the WHO in February 2020, has currently infected more than 6 million people with fatalities near 371,000 and increasing exponentially, in absence of vaccines and drugs. The pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 is still being elucidated. Identifying potential targets and repurposing drugs as therapeutic options is the need of the hour. In this review, we focus on potential druggable targets and suitable therapeutics, currently being explored in clinical trials, to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection. A brief understanding of the complex interactions of both viral as well as host targets, and the possible repurposed drug candidates are described with an emphasis on understanding the mechanisms at the molecular level.