Elsevier

Clinical Immunology

Volume 222, January 2021, 108634
Clinical Immunology

Review Article
COVID-19: A review of therapeutic strategies and vaccine candidates

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clim.2020.108634Get rights and content

Highlights

  • A pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2 has become a leading cause of death globally.

  • The anti-viral agent remdesivir was effective in patients who were hospitalized with COVID-19 and had lower respiratory tract infection.

  • The results of a number of clinical trials repurposing immunomodulatory agents have been reported, with positive results for dexamethasone in severe COVID-19.

  • The development of an effective COVID-19 vaccine appears to be eminent.

Abstract

The world is engulfed by one of the most widespread and significant public health crises in decades as COVID-19 has become among the leading causes of death internationally. The novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which causes COVID-19 has unified the scientific community in search of therapeutic and preventative solutions. The top priorities at the moment are twofold: first, to repurpose already-approved pharmacologic agents or develop novel therapies to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with the ever-spreading virus. Secondly, the scientific and larger pharmaceutical community have been tasked with the development, testing, and production of a safe and effective vaccine as a longer-term solution to prevent further spread and recurrence throughout the populace. The purpose of this article is to review the most up-to-date published data regarding both the leading pharmacological therapies undergoing clinical trials and vaccine candidates in development to stem the threat of COVID-19.

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