PHARMACOLOGICAL OPTIONS FOR MANAGEMENT OF COVID-19: ISSUES CONCERNING ETHICS AND RATIONAL MEDICINE USE

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has emerged as a major healthcare problem and has posed a great challenge to our existing healthcare facilities. Treatment of COVID-19 has been primarily based on repurposed drugs, drugs approved under emergency authorization or other options which are not thoroughly evaluated in patients with COVID-19, hence, lacking an adequate data on safety and efficacy. Public awareness and education regarding the potential benefits and safety concerns of the available therapeutic/prophylactic options are crucial to avoid ethical and medicolegal issues. Fundraising and global partnership are required to raise the research on potential older drugs likely to be repurposed, along with novel treatment options for COVID-19. A global effort is required to ensure the availability, distribution, and safer administration of COVID-19 vaccines. A rational and ethical approach is required to manage the patients with COVID-19. Equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines should be a priority to end this pandemic. In this review, we have focused on concerns regarding ethics and rational medicine use in view of the available and emerging therapeutic and prophylactic options for the management of COVID-19.