COVID-19 Pandemisinde Kullanılan İlaçlar, Etki Mekanizmaları ve Etkililikleri

COVID-19, which belongs to a coronavirus family that emerged in Wuhan-China in December 2019, has caused pandemics worldwide. This virus has genetic affinity with previous coronaviruses, which have been outbreaks as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. COVID-19 patients have severe acute respiratory syndrome(ARDS), severe pneumonia, hematological findings, disseminated intravascular coagulopathy(DIC) and sepsis and also have signs of gastrointestinal system such as loss of smell, nausea-vomiting, diarrhea and sometimes only skin manifestations. In acute period, it causes severe inflammation due to macrophage activation syndrome(MAS) and cytokine storm. In treatment; drugs used in the treatments of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, are being tried. While chloroquine/ hydroxychloroquine are used in prophylaxis and treatment, in cases of severe pneumonia, azithromycin is additionally added to the treatment. According to the course of the disease, drugs which are used/being tried at the treatment such as favipiravir, lopinavir, ritonavir, remdesivir and ribavirin could be combined with adjuvant drugs such as anticytokine-immunomodulators (tocilizumab, anakinra, sarilumab, bevacizumab, eculizumab), corticosteroids, immunoglobulines, interferons and antiaggregant drugs (anti-inflammatory drugs) are used as auxiliary drugs. Heparin (enoxaparin) can be used prophylactically, to prevent coagulation in course of this disease. COVID-19 symptoms can be confused with influenza for seasonal and symptomatic reasons. In case of influenza, oseltamivir is used for treatment. Vaccine and drug studies have accelerated for COVID-19, which does not have any treatment under normal conditions. But it would be beneficial to mention that this process may take at least one year. In fact, stem cell studies are also carried out to combat this disease.