Adverse Effects of COVID-19 Treatments: A Special Focus on Susceptible Populations

On December 2019, the world faced a new pandemic caused by a novel type of coronavirus, namely severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This disease is named as "coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)." This RNA virus infected millions of people around the world causing millions of deaths. It takes approximately 8-10 years to develop a new drug and it seems hard to have a specific pharmaceutical agent against COVID-19. So far, there is only one drug that has applied for registration. The drugs used in clinics against COVID-19 were approved for malaria, human immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV), influenza A and B, and other viral diseases. All these drugs for COVID-19 treatment are being applied according to "drug repurposing (drug repositioning)" strategy. However, they could cause some severe adverse effects on susceptible populations. In some cases, patients can survive after disease. However, the adverse effects of these drugs may lead to morbidity and mortality later. In this review, drugs used against COVID-19 in clinics, their mechanisms of action and possible adverse effects on susceptible populations will be discussed.