Repurposing the estrogen receptor modulator raloxifene to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection
Marcello Allegretti, Maria Candida Cesta, Mara Zippoli, Andrea R. Beccari, Carmine Talarico, Flavio Mantelli, Enrico Bucci, Laura Scorzolini, Emanuele Nicastri
Abstract
The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) necessitates strategies to identify prophylactic and therapeutic drug candidates to enter rapid clinical development. This is particularly true, given the uncertainty about the endurance of the immune memory induced by both previous infections or vaccines, and given the fact that the eradication of SARS-CoV-2 might be challenging to reach, given the attack rate of the virus, which would require unusually high protection by a vaccine. Here, we show how raloxifene, a selective estrogen receptor modulator with anti-inflammatory and antiviral properties, emerges as an attractive candidate entering clinical trials to test its efficacy in early-stage treatment COVID-19 patients.