Repurposed drugs for Covid-19 need rigorous testing

Existing drugs that have been repurposed to treat Covid-19 still need rigorous testing for safety and effectiveness according to the UK’s independent Drug Safety Research Unit (DSRU).

The DSRU has recently worked alongside colleagues from the University of Messina in Italy to produce a review of the benefits and challenges of repurposing existing drugs for Covid-19.  

The paper provides an overview of existing drugs currently being trialled to treat Covid-19, with the authors highlighting the challenges around correctly interpreting existing pre-clinical and clinical evidence and how to best generate new evidence.

Currently, the only repurposed drug licensed for use in Covid-19 patients is remdesivir, an antiviral originally developed to treat Ebola. Now, the DSRU is urging institutions across the globe to work together to expedite development and reduce duplication.

Professor Saad Shakir, director of the DSRU, said: “Repurposing existing drugs can save time and money because we already have information about their safety from when they were used in treating other diseases.

“However, even repurposed drugs must still go through rigorous testing to ensure they are effective at treating Covid-19, and that they are safe for patients with Covid-19. Regarding their efficacy, repurposed drugs that might work in a very different way for Covid-19 may need much more research before we know they are safe and effective.

“Regulators are speeding up approval processes, which is necessary in a global pandemic. But it means there will likely be more gaps in our knowledge about new Covid-19 treatments when the general public starts using them. Continuing the monitoring and research ‘post authorisation’ will be even more essential to ensure rare and long latency side effects are recorded.”