Repurposing Existing Drugs for COVID-19: An Endocrinology Perspective

The document from September 29, 2020, explores the possibility of using existing drugs to treat COVID-19, with a focus on the field of endocrinology. It identifies that COVID-19 can lead to worse outcomes in individuals with certain conditions such as aging, uncontrolled diabetes, and obesity. The paper points out the significance of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), and TMPRSS2 in the virus's infectivity. Dexamethasone, a glucocorticoid, was the only drug with emerging evidence for treating severely affected COVID-19 patients at the time. Other drugs like anti-androgens, statins, and ACE inhibitors were considered for their potential effects but lacked specific evidence for COVID-19 treatment. The document concludes that while dexamethasone may reduce mortality in severely ill patients, other treatments should be limited to clinical research studies until their efficacy is proven, and emphasizes the need for clinical trials to establish the efficacy of these drugs in treating COVID-19.