  After emerging in China in late 2019, the novel Severe acute respiratory
syndrome-like coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spread worldwide and as of early 2021,
continues to significantly impact most countries. Only a small number of
coronaviruses are known to infect humans, and only two are associated with the
severe outcomes associated with SARS-CoV-2: Severe acute respiratory
syndrome-related coronavirus, a closely related species of SARS-CoV-2 that
emerged in 2002, and Middle East respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus,
which emerged in 2012. Both of these previous epidemics were controlled fairly
rapidly through public health measures, and no vaccines or robust therapeutic
interventions were identified. However, previous insights into the immune
response to coronaviruses gained during the outbreaks of severe acute
respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) have
proved beneficial to identifying approaches to the treatment and prophylaxis of
novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). A number of potential therapeutics
against SARS-CoV-2 and the resultant COVID-19 illness were rapidly identified,
leading to a large number of clinical trials investigating a variety of
possible therapeutic approaches being initiated early on in the pandemic. As a
result, a small number of therapeutics have already been authorized by
regulatory agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the
United States, and many other therapeutics remain under investigation. Here, we
describe a range of approaches for the treatment of COVID-19, along with their
proposed mechanisms of action and the current status of clinical investigation
into each candidate. The status of these investigations will continue to
evolve, and this review will be updated as progress is made.
