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Nascimento Junior JAC, Santos AM, Oliveira AMS, Guimarães AG, Quintans-Júnior LJ, Coutinho HDM, Martins N, Borges LP, Serafini MR. Trends in MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Diagnosis Strategies: A Patent Review. Front Public Health 2020; 8:563095. [PMID: 33194964 PMCID: PMC7653175 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.563095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The emergence of a new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak represents a challenge for the diagnostic laboratories responsible for developing test kits to identify those infected with SARS-CoV-2. Methods with rapid and accurate detection are essential to control the sources of infection, to prevent the spread of the disease and to assist decision-making by public health managers. Currently, there is a wide variety of tests available with different detection methodologies, levels of specificity and sensitivity, detection time, and with an extensive range of prices. This review therefore aimed to conduct a patent search in relation to tests for the detection of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2. The greatest number of patents identified in the search were registered between 2003 and 2011, being mainly deposited by China, the Republic of Korea, and the United States. Most of the patents used the existing RT-PCR, ELISA, and isothermal amplification methods to develop simple, sensitive, precise, easy to use, low-cost tests that reduced false-negative or false-positive results. The findings of this patent search show that an increasing number of materials and diagnostic tests for the coronavirus are being produced to identify infected individuals and combat the growth of the current pandemic; however, there is still a question in relation to the reliability of the results of these tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- José Adão Carvalho Nascimento Junior
- Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristovão, Brazil.,Posgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristovão, Brazil
| | | | | | - Adriana Gibara Guimarães
- Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristovão, Brazil.,Posgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristovão, Brazil
| | - Lucindo José Quintans-Júnior
- Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristovão, Brazil.,Posgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristovão, Brazil
| | | | - Natália Martins
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S), University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
| | | | - Mairim Russo Serafini
- Department of Pharmacy, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristovão, Brazil.,Posgraduate Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Federal University of Sergipe, São Cristovão, Brazil
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Idda ML, Soru D, Floris M. Overview of the First 6 Months of Clinical Trials for COVID-19 Pharmacotherapy: The Most Studied Drugs. Front Public Health 2020; 8:497. [PMID: 32974268 PMCID: PMC7472365 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.00497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 07/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 rapidly spread from China until it was defined a pandemic by WHO in March 2020. Related scientific papers have rapidly extended information regarding the diagnosis, treatment and epidemiology of COVID-19 infection. To date, no vaccine or definitive treatment is available to defeat the virus and therapies are mainly based on existing drugs used to treat other conditions. Existing therapies used in several clinical trials work by affecting the biology of COVID-19 and/or counteracting the harmful host excessive immune response. Here, we have reviewed 526 ongoing clinical trials for COVID-19 to provide a perspective on the first 6 months of global efforts to identify an effective therapy. The drugs most actively tested in various centers include hydroxychloroquine, ritonavir, azithromycin, tocilizumab, lopinavir chloroquine and ivermectin. Our analysis shows that most clinical trials focus on a small number of candidate drugs (namely hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine representing 25% of total clinical trials) while underestimating the potential of other promising drugs. A global coordination in clinical trial management could avoid duplications and increase the effectiveness of the response to the global challenge.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Laura Idda
- Institute for Genetic and Biomedical Research, National Research Council, Sassari, Italy
| | | | - Matteo Floris
- Institute for Genetic and Biomedical Research, National Research Council, Sassari, Italy.,Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Sassari, Sassari, Italy
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