The journey of antimalarial drugs against SARS-CoV-2: Review article

The recent outbreak of coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) introduced by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has greatly affected the global public health. This pandemic disease became particularly threatening after the start of a new wave. Vaccines of tested efficacy to stop COVID-19 infection are being investigated vigorously worldwide. Currently, some specific drugs have been authorized for COVID-19, but the improvement of antivirals requires time. Hence, a faster way of treatment is done by drug repurposing. Repurposing of drugs is promising for treating and reducing the symptoms of the disease, and it a fast, easy, and safe method to address the crisis, because of their previously known applications. Some antimalarial drugs, especially chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, have been repurposed, as they exhibited promising results in vitro and in vivo. This article investigates repurposed antimalarial drugs, focusing on their antiviral mechanisms of action, effects in combinations, trial results, and their side effects.