Table 1 Approved anticancer agents being tested in patients with COVID-19.
From: Repurposing anticancer drugs for COVID-19-induced inflammation, immune dysfunction, and coagulopathy
Class | Agent | Mechanism | US FDA approval for cancer type or cancer symptom | COVID-19 trial identifier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Interleukin (IL) inhibitor | Tocilizumab | Competitive blockade of the IL-6-binding site | Cytokine release syndrome | NCT04361552, NCT04331795 |
Siltuximab | Prevents the binding of IL-6 to both soluble and membrane-bound IL-6 receptors | Multicentric Castleman’s disease | NCT04329650, NCT04330638 | |
Corticosteroid | Prednisolone | Anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive | Lymphomas, leukaemias | NCT04273321, NCT04263402 |
Dexamethasone | Anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive | Lymphomas, leukaemias | NCT04325061, NCT04327401 | |
Hydrocortisone | Anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive | Palliation of leukaemias and lymphomas | NCT04348305, NCT02735707 | |
Anticoagulant | Enoxaparin | Binds to antithrombin to irreversibly inactivate clotting factor Xa | Prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis in abdominal surgery or medical patients with severely restricted mobility during acute illness | NCT04345848, NCT04359277 |
Interferon | IFN-α | Immunomodulator | Hairy cell leukaemia, melanoma, follicular lymphoma | NCT04320238, NCT04254874 |
Checkpoint inhibitor | Nivolumab | Blocks programmed death-1 receptor | Melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, renal cell cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, squamous cell cancer of the head and neck, urothelial cancer, colorectal cancer, hepatocellular cancer | NCT04333914, NCT04356508 |
Pembrolizumab | Blocks programmed death-1 receptor | Melanoma, non-small cell lung cancer, head and neck squamous cell cancer, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma, urothelial cancer, microsatellite instability-high cancer, gastric cancer, cervical cancer, hepatocellular cancer, Merkel cell cancer | NCT04335305 | |
Anti-vascular endothelial growth factor | Bevacizumab | Binds circulating vascular endothelial growth factor | Colorectal cancer, non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer, glioblastoma, Renal cell cancer | NCT04305106, NCT04275414 |
Kinase inhibitor | Ruxolitinib | Inhibits Janus kinase (JAK) 1 and 2 | Primary myelofibrosis, post-polycythemia vera myelofibrosis, and post-essential thrombocythemia myelofibrosis | NCT04338958, NCT04354714 |
Imatinib | Inhibits bcr-abl tyrosine kinase | Chronic myeloid leukaemia, acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, gastrointestinal stromal tumours | NCT04357613, NCT04346147 | |
Acalabrutinib | Inhibits Bruton’s tyrosine kinase | Mantle cell lymphoma | NCT04346199 | |
Duvelisib | Inhibits phosphoinositide-3 kinase δ and γ | Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, small lymphocytic lymphoma, follicular lymphoma | NCT04372602 | |
Immunomodulator | Thalidomide | Immunomodulatory, antiangiogenic, and modulation of tumour necrosis factor-α | Multiple myeloma | NCT04273529, NCT04273581 |
Lenalidomide | Immunomodulatory, antiangiogenic | Multiple myeloma | NCT04361643 | |
Nuclear export inhibitor | Selinexor | Binds to exportin 1 | Multiple myeloma | NCT04355676, NCT04349098 |
Granulocyte, macrophage-colony stimulating factor | Sargramostim | Haematopoietic growth factor and immune modulator | Shorten neutrophil recovery after induction chemotherapy | NCT04326920 |
Retinoid | Isotretinoin | Induces apoptosis | High-risk neuroblastoma | NCT04361422, NCT04353180 |
Interleukin | IL-2 | Expansion and activation of regulatory T cells | Melanoma, renal cell cancer | NCT04357444 |
Cytotoxic chemotherapy | Etoposide | Topoisomerase II inhibitor | Testicular tumours, small cell lung cancer | NCT04356690 |
Methotrexate | Antimetabolite, inhibits dihydrofolate reductase | Breast cancer, epidermoid cancers of the head and neck, cutaneous T cell lymphoma, squamous cell lung cancer, small cell lung cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma | NCT04352465 | |
Radiotherapy | External beam radiation | DNA damage | Multiple cancer types | NCT04366791 |
