Candidates for treatment of COVID 19: current scenario and way forwards

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has spread across the globe resulting in a pandemic affecting 215 countries. At the time of this review, COVID-19 has been diagnosed in more than 15,000,000 patients and associated with over 1,00,000 deaths globally (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, World Health Organization). In this review, we herein summarize the current evidence as on May 15, 2020 to provide guidance on potentially beneficial drugs in COVID-19 treatment or prophylaxis, their scientific rationale and their clinical efficacy and safety. New data continue to emerge daily regarding clinical characteristics, treatment options, and outcomes for COVID-19. Optimized supportive care remains the mainstay of therapy, and the clinical efficacy for many potential therapeutic agents is still under investigation.