COVID-19 and therapeutic drugs repurposing in hand: The need for collaborative efforts

The novel pandemic severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is responsible to cause coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). It is a global pandemic disease and has reached a new dimension with a higher death ratio. On 2 June 2020, World Health Organization (WHO) data showed more than 6,194,500 confirmed and 376,300 deaths globally due to the COVID-19. There are currently no approved medications or vaccines which have been claimed to be effective in COVID-19 prevention or treatment. Drug repurposing of available drugs and research studies for the search of new therapeutic agents are underway in various countries to try different combinations to treat their patients. It is too early to be sure of them as safe treatments because some reports seem to suggest some alarming side effects. However, a lot of work needs to be done to achieve a successful treatment result and the full safety and efficacy of the trial drugs will take some time to be developed. In this narrative perspective review, we addressed evidence-based literature on various possible antiviral medications, plant-derived antivirals drugs, and other valuable treatment options for COVID-19 management.