The current pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has presented unprecedented challenges to the healthcare systems in almost every country around the world. Currently, there are no proven effective vaccines or therapeutic agents against the virus. Current clinical management includes infection prevention and control measures and supportive care including supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilatory support. Evolving research and clinical data regarding the virologic SARS-CoV-2 suggest a potential list of repurposed drugs with appropriate pharmacological effects and therapeutic efficacies in treating COVID-19 patients. In this review, we will update and summarize the most common and plausible drugs for the treatment of COVID-19 patients. These drugs and therapeutic agents include antiviral agents (remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, lopinavir, umifenovir, favipiravir, and oseltamivir), and supporting agents (Ascorbic acid, Azithromycin, Corticosteroids, Nitric oxide, IL-6 antagonists), among others. We hope that this review will provide useful and most updated therapeutic drugs to prevent, control, and treat COVID-19 patients until the approval of vaccines and specific drugs targeting SARS-CoV-2.

The repurposing of colchicine for the treatment of COVID-19 was suggested based in its immunomodulatory, anti-inflammatory, and anti-viral properties. We performed a single-center propensity score matched cohort study, including all consecutive COVID-19 patients admitted to a community hospital between 1 March 2020 and 30 May 2020. Patients were stratified according to the receipt of colchicine. The primary endpoint was defined as in-hospital death within 28-days follow-up. Secondary endpoints included favorable change in the Ordinal Scale for Clinical Improvement on days 14 and 28 versus baseline, proportion of patients not requiring supplemental oxygen on days 14 and 28, and proportion of patients discharged by day 28. In total data for 303 PCR positive COVID-19 patients were extracted and 66 patients were included in the 1:1 matched cohort study. At the end of the 28 day follow-up, patients receiving colchicine were approximately five times more likely to be discharged (odds ratio, 5.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.25–20.1; p = 0.023) and when comparing mortality, there were 3 deaths (9.1%) in patients receiving colchicine versus 11 deaths (33.3%) in the groups receiving standard of care (odds ratio, 0.20; 95% confidence interval, 0.05–0.80; p = 0.023). These observations warrant further investigation in large controlled clinical trials.

Vancomycin is commonly used to treat methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections and is known to cause nephrotoxicity. Previous Vancomycin Consensus Guidelines recommended targeting trough concentrations but the 2020 Guidelines suggest monitoring vancomycin area under the curve (AUC) given the reduced risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) at similar levels of efficacy. This meta‐analysis compares vancomycin‐induced AKI incidence using AUC‐guided dosing strategies versus trough‐based monitoring. Literature was queried from Medline (Ovid), Web of Science, and Google Scholar from database inception through November 5, 2021. Interventional or observational studies reporting the incidence of vancomycin‐induced AKI between AUC‐ and trough‐guided dosing strategies were included. In the primary analysis, the Vancomycin Consensus Guidelines definition for AKI was used if reported; otherwise, the Risk, Injury, and Failure; and Loss, and End‐stage kidney disease (RIFLE) or Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) definitions were used. The incidence of nephrotoxicity was evaluated between the two strategies using a Mantel–Haenszel random‐effects model, and odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. Subgroup analyses for adjusted ORs and AKI definitions were performed. Heterogeneity was identified using Cochrane's Q test and I² statistics. A total of 10 studies with 4231 patients were included. AUC‐guided dosing strategies were associated with significantly less vancomycin‐induced AKI than trough‐guided strategies [OR 0.625, 95% CI (0.469–0.834), p = 0.001; I² = 25.476]. A subgroup analysis of three studies reporting adjusted ORs yielded similar results [OR 0.475, 95% CI (0.261–0.863), p = 0.015]. Stratification by AKI definition showed a significant reduction in AKI with the Vancomycin Consensus Guidelines definition [OR 0.552, 95% CI (0.341–0.894), p = 0.016] but failed to find significance in the alternative definitions. Area under the curve‐guided dosing strategies are associated with a lower incidence of vancomycin‐induced AKI versus trough‐guided dosing strategies (GRADE, low). Limitations included the variety of AKI definitions and the potential for confounding bias.

Purpose: The recent literature regarding intensive care unit (ICU) delirium and updated clinical practice guidelines are reviewed. Summary: Recent studies show that ICU delirium in critically ill patients is an independent predictor of higher mortality, longer ICU and hospital stay, and is associated with multiple clinical complications. Delirium has been reported to occur in greater than 80% of hospitalized critically ill patients, yet it remains an underdiagnosed condition. Several subtypes of delirium have been identified including hypoactive, hyperactive, and mixed presentation. Although the exact mechanism is unknown, several factors are thought to interact to cause delirium. Multiple risk factors related to medications, acute illness, the environment, and patient characteristics may contribute to the development of delirium. Practical bedside screening tools have been validated and are recommended to identify ICU patients with delirium. Nonpharmacologic interventions such as early mobilization have resulted in better functional outcomes, decreased incidence and duration of delirium, and more ventilator-free days. Data supporting pharmacologic treatments are limited. Conclusion: Clinicians should become familiar with tools to identify delirium in order to initiate treatment and remove mitigating factors early in hospitalization to prevent delirium. Pharmacists are in a unique position to reduce delirium through minimization of medication-related risk factors and development of protocols.