Research and Development on Therapeutic Agents and Vaccines for COVID-19 and Related Human Coronavirus Diseases

TLDR

COVID‑19, caused by SARS‑CoV‑2, has rapidly spread worldwide, prompting scientists to investigate its pathophysiology and seek effective treatments and vaccines. CAS produced a special report summarizing published scientific information, especially patents, to support ongoing COVID‑19 therapeutic and vaccine research. The report reviews antiviral strategies, including small‑molecule and biologic agents, drug‑repurposing of RNA‑virus antivirals, and patent analyses of therapeutic antibodies, cytokines, nucleic‑acid therapies, and vaccines targeting coronavirus infection and replication. Over 500 patents describe biologic methodologies that could treat or prevent coronavirus infections, providing a robust intellectual foundation for developing COVID‑19 therapeutics and vaccines.

Abstract

Since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, this disease has spread rapidly around the globe. Considering the potential threat of a pandemic, scientists and physicians have been racing to understand this new virus and the pathophysiology of this disease to uncover possible treatment regimens and discover effective therapeutic agents and vaccines. To support the current research and development, CAS has produced a special report to provide an overview of published scientific information with an emphasis on patents in the CAS content collection. It highlights antiviral strategies involving small molecules and biologics targeting complex molecular interactions involved in coronavirus infection and replication. The drug-repurposing effort documented herein focuses primarily on agents known to be effective against other RNA viruses including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV. The patent analysis of coronavirus-related biologics includes therapeutic antibodies, cytokines, and nucleic acid-based therapies targeting virus gene expression as well as various types of vaccines. More than 500 patents disclose methodologies of these four biologics with the potential for treating and preventing coronavirus infections, which may be applicable to COVID-19. The information included in this report provides a strong intellectual groundwork for the ongoing development of therapeutic agents and vaccines.