A Chemical Approach on Drugs that are Under Evaluation as Potential COVID-19’s Treatment

A novel SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, the virus responsible for COVID-19, is a public health emergency of international concern since this infection spreads quickly through human-to-human transmission. Several drugs are being studied by researchers worldwide as an effective antiviral agent against this coronavirus. Therefore, most studies are focusing on drugs that have been already used earlier on the treatment of other diseases. Therapies under investigation include azithromycin, chloroquine, hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, lopinavir/ritonavir, and favipiravir. Remdesivir is the only Food and Drug Administrationapproved drug for the use in adult and pediatric patients (>12 years old) for the treatment of this disease requiring hospitalization. In this context, the present review summarizes information about these drugs highlighting the chemical standpoint, such as physical-chemical and molecular characteristics, toxicity, history, and main applications, since knowledge about these substances is essential to assist the search for an appropriate treatment.