Candidate: Ivermectin (marketed by Merck & Co. under the names Stromectol® and Mectizan®, but also available as a generic drug)
Category: ANTIVIRAL
Type: Anti-parasitic drug approved by the FDA for Strongyloidiasis of the intestinal tract, and onchocerciasis (river blindness). Since 1987, Merck has committed to donating Mectizan—as much as needed, for as long as needed—with the goal of eliminating river blindness through the public-private partnership Mectizan Donation Program. The program was extended in 1998 to include lymphatic filariasis (LF).
Status: BDI and the Doherty Institute on April 3 published a preprint study in Antiviral Research showing that Ivermectin essentially stopped the SARS-CoV-2 virus growing in cell culture within 48 hours, and reduced viral RNA significantly at 24 hours. The in vitro study will be followed up with human clinical trials, the institutions said.
COVID-19: 200 Candidates and Counting
To navigate through the >200 potential therapeutic and vaccine options for COVID-19, GEN has grouped the candidates into four broad categories based on their developmental and (where applicable) clinical progress:
● FRONT RUNNER – the most promising therapeutics/vaccines based on clinical progress, favorable data or both.
● DEFINITELY MAYBE – earlier phases with promising partners, or more advanced candidates in development that have generated uneven data
● KEEPING AN EYE ON… – interesting technology, attracting notable partners, or both, but preliminary data.
● TOO SOON TO TELL – longshots pending additional experimental and/or clinical data.
GEN has also tagged the most common treatment types:
● ANTIVIRAL
● VAX
● ANTIBODY
● RNA
