Numerous pharmaceutical drugs have been repurposed for use as treatments for COVID-19 disease. These drugs have not consistently demonstrated high efficacy in preventing or treating this serious condition and all have side effects to differing degrees. We encourage the continued consideration of the use of the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, melatonin, as a countermeasure to a SARS-CoV-2 infection.
COVID-19 has infected hundreds of thousands and killed tens of thousands of people worldwide and it continues to ravage societies as well as fiscal and economic stability of several countries. Currently, several drugs that were designed for other conditions have been repurposed to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. Some have modest efficacy in resisting this disease, but all of them have significant toxicity. Several pharmaceutical companies are rushing to develop vaccines, but their availability is 8 to 12 months in the future. In the meantime, readily available and affordable molecules that will have utility as COVID-19 antidotes are being sought.
Treatment for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID19) pneumonia remains empirical and the search for therapies that can improve outcomes continues. Melatonin has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immune-modulating effects that may address key pathophysiologic mechanisms in the development and progression of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which has been implicated as the likely cause of death in COVID19.