**1. Introduction**

Because of the high rate of infectivity of the COVID-19 virus, the global burden associated with the disease, and its impact on the economies of different countries, efforts are being made to find a possible cure for the disease as soon as possible [1]. As with most viral infections, limited options are available for the treatment of COVID-19. Since there is no efficient therapy available for the same, given the public emergency, efforts are ongoing to find drugs helpful in COVID-19 infection. Drugs used in the past against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) or Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), which also belong to the group of Beta coronaviruses, included ribavirin, interferon, lopinavir-ritonavir, and corticosteroids [2]. Most randomized controlled trials (RCTs) performed to test the effectiveness of these drugs have not shown any satisfying results, apart from corticosteroids. Many RCTs are still undergoing, the results of which are awaited. Studies about the virus-induced host immune response and viral processing within target cells have led to several potential therapeutic targets.

#### **Figure 1.**

*Site of action of different possible pharmacotherapeutics used in COVID-19 treatment.*


*Pharmacotherapy for COVID-19: A Ray of Hope DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.97012*


*RdRp: RNA dependent RNA polymerase; ARDS: Acute respiratory distress syndrome; WHO: World Health Organization; CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; FDA: Food and Drug Administration; IDSA: Infectious Disease Society of America; EUA: Emergency Use Authorization; NIH: National Institute of Health; Il-6 R: Interleukin-6 receptor; STAT: Signal transducer and activator of transcription.*

#### **Table 1.**

*Summary of various pharmacotherapeutics being considered for COVID-19 treatment.*

We hereby discuss the potential therapeutic drugs under investigation for the COVID-19 treatment, their modes of action (**Figure 1**), degree of effectiveness, and recommendations (**Table 1**) by different centers regarding their usage in the current settings.
