The current outbreak of pandemic
coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) aggravates serious need for effective
therapeutics. Over recent years, drug repurposing has been accomplished as an important opportunity in drug development as it shortens the time consumed for development, besides sparing the cost and the efforts exerted in the research and development process. The FDA-approved
antiparasitic drug,
nitazoxanide (
NTZ), has been found to have
antiviral activity against different
viral infections such as coronaviruses,
influenza, hepatitis C virus (HCV), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and other viruses signifying its potential as a broad spectrum
antiviral drug. Moreover, it has been recently reported that
NTZ exhibited in vitro inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 at a small micromolar concentration. Additionally,
NTZ suppresses the production of
cytokines emphasizing its potential to manage COVID-19-induced
cytokine storm. Furthermore, the reported efficacy of
NTZ to bronchodilate the extremely contracted airways can be beneficial in alleviating COVID-19-associated symptoms.
SHORT CONCLUSION: All these findings, along with the high safety record of the drug, have gained our interest to urge conductance of clinical trials to assess the potential benefits of using it in
COVID-19 patients. Thus, in this summarized article, we review the
antiviral activities of
NTZ and highlight its promising therapeutic actions that make the drug worth clinical trials.