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Safety perspectives on presently considered drugs for the treatment of COVID-19
  • +10
  • Sophie Penman,
  • Robyn Kiy,
  • Rebecca Jensen,
  • Christopher Beoku-Betts,
  • Ana Alfirevic,
  • David Back,
  • Saye Khoo,
  • Andrew Owen,
  • Munir Pirmohamed,
  • Kevin Park,
  • Xiaoli Meng,
  • Christopher Goldring,
  • Amy Chadwick
Sophie Penman
University of Liverpool

Corresponding Author:hlspenma@liverpool.ac.uk

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Robyn Kiy
University of Liverpool
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Rebecca Jensen
University of Liverpool
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Christopher Beoku-Betts
University of Liverpool
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Ana Alfirevic
University of Liverpool
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David Back
University of Liverpool
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Saye Khoo
University of Liverpool
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Andrew Owen
University of Liverpool
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Munir Pirmohamed
University of Liverpool
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Kevin Park
University of Liverpool
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Xiaoli Meng
University of Liverpool
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Christopher Goldring
University of Liverpool
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Amy Chadwick
University of Liverpool
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Abstract

Intense effort is underway to evaluate potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of COVID-19. In order to respond quickly to the crisis, the repurposing of existing drugs is the primary pharmacological strategy. Despite the urgent clinical need for these therapies, it is imperative to consider potential safety issues. This is important due to the harm-benefit ratios that may be encountered when treating COVID-19, which can depend on the stage of the disease, when therapy is administered and underlying clinical factors in individual patients. Treatments are currently being trialled for a range of scenarios from prophylaxis (where benefit must greatly exceed risk) to severe life-threatening disease (where a degree of potential risk may be tolerated if it is exceeded by the potential benefit). In this perspective, we have reviewed some of the most widely-researched repurposed agents in order to identify potential safety considerations using existing information in the context of COVID-19.
09 Jun 2020Submitted to British Journal of Pharmacology
13 Jun 2020Submission Checks Completed
13 Jun 2020Assigned to Editor
21 Jun 2020Reviewer(s) Assigned
01 Jul 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
05 Jul 2020Editorial Decision: Revise Minor
09 Jul 20201st Revision Received
10 Jul 2020Submission Checks Completed
10 Jul 2020Assigned to Editor
10 Jul 2020Review(s) Completed, Editorial Evaluation Pending
10 Jul 2020Editorial Decision: Accept
17 Jul 2020Published in British Journal of Pharmacology. 10.1111/bph.15204