M-LIFE™, a biotech and life sciences company, has identified six marketed drugs suitable for repurposing as possible therapies for COVID-19. These drugs have not been previously indicated via the mainstream media. Additionally, these newly identified prospects directly target the COVID-19 virus as opposed to the illness progression (e.g., cytokine storm). The M-Life™ list of prospective repurposed drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 includes: tirofiban cardiovascular, ketoconazole – antifungal, lacidipine – hypertension, pilsicainide – antiarrhythmic, suramin – sleeping sickness, and uradipil – hypertension.
According to M-Life™ Chief Discovery Officer Dr. Peter Crooks, the identified molecules offer the possibility of new options for treatment. “None of the identified drugs are on anyone’s radar for repurposing to treat COVID-19,” he said. “The big benefit of using repurposed drugs is that the safety, side effects and dosing are already known through experience garnered from FDA approval for their original intended use. Pending some additional testing, it’s quite possible that all of the identified repurposed drugs could be used as treatments within months rather than a decade or more required for an entirely new molecule to go through the testing, clinical trial phases, and FDA approval process.”