Singapore-based firm Gero, a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) driven drug discovery, has identified 18 drugs that can potentially treat COVID-19 infections. Six of these drugs have been approved for use, nine of them are being tested in clinical trials for other indications, and three of them were rejected. 

Gero’s AI drug discovery platform identified these drugs by studying the molecular structure of known drugs from its large database to identify the most likely drugs that can disrupt the coronavirus from replicating. In fact, the platform found potential treatments among existing drugs that have been used as medication in humans and animals for decades. 

As the pandemic has spread in more than 150 countries, the desperate nature of the situation, as well as the legal and regulatory status of these drugs, make it possible to start immediate clinical trials for the potential anti-coronavirus drugs. A few of the drugs have previously proven effective against SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 viruses as well.

Gero primarily uses its AI platform for drug discovery, and drug repurposing focused on complex diseases such and ageing. “Gero has managed to overcome limitations of the previous-generation AI by offering not just a correlation analysis of biological Big Data, but causative models built with the use of physics of complex dynamic systems in addition to advanced machine learning,” stated the press release on Gera’s website. 

The drugs found potentially effective are as following:

1. Niclosamide - an oral anthelmintic drug used to treat parasitic infections. Niclosamide has been approved in Italy, France, and some other countries.
2. Nitazoxanide - a broad-spectrum antiparasitic and broad-spectrum antiviral prescription drug that is used in medicine for the treatment of various helminthic, protozoal, and viral infections. Approved in the U.S., India, Mexico and some other countries. Niclosamide and Nitazoxanide have been recently recommended to be tried as COVID-19 treatment in patients.
3. Afatinib - a prescription medicine approved in the U.S. for the treatment of patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), along with 28 countries within the EU, China, and some other countries.
4. Ixazomib - a prescription medicine used in combination with the medicines REVLIMID® (lenalidomide) and dexamethasone to treat multiple myeloma in patients who have received at least one prior treatment for their multiple myeloma. Approved in the U.S., EU and some other countries.
5. Reserpine- was originally isolated from the flower Rauwolfia serpentina in 1952. It was once used as a treatment for high blood pressure and psychotic episodes. It has been approved in Italy, Germany, France and some other countries.

The company strongly advises against the use of these medications for self-treatment.