Fluvoxamine and Amantadine: Central Nervous System Acting Drugs Repositioned for COVID-19 as Early Intervention

Background: As the World faces unprecedented pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 virus, repositioning of existing drugs to treatment of COVID-19 disease is urgently awaited, provided that high quality scientific evidence supporting safety and efficacy in this new indication is gathered. Efforts concerning drugs repositioning to COVID-19 were mostly focused on antiviral drugs, or drugs targeting the late phase of the disease. Methods: Based on published research, the pharmacological activities of fluvoxamine and amantadine, two well-known drugs widely used in clinical practice for psychiatric and neurological diseases, respectively, have been reviewed, with a focus on their potential therapeutic importance in the treatment of COVID-19. Results: Several preclinical and clinical reports were identified suggesting that these two drugs might exert protective effects in the early phases of COVID-19. Conclusion: Preclinical and early clinical evidence are presented indicating that these drugs hold promise to prevent COVID-19 progression when administered early during the course of infection.