Repurposed drugs and vaccines for COVID-19 prevention
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) virus, has led to global public health challenges and government-imposed restrictions.
Our research focused on two key aspects: the pandemic's impact on access to healthcare and the effectiveness of prevention pharmacological strategies, such as repurpose drugs (existing medications used to treat other diseases) and vaccination.First, we examined the use of medications (including potential repurposed drugs, antipsychotic drugs, and asthma drugs) in the Netherlands and found that access to community pharmacies remained largely unchanged during the pandemic. Dispensing of most drugs remained stable, with minimal or consistent changes observed, which were similar to pre-pandemic trends.
Next, we conducted a rigorous assessment of the effectiveness of pharmacological interventions in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection. Our findings showed that several potential repurposed drugs did not offer significant protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. In contrast, vaccines provided substantial protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Furthermore, vaccine-induced protection against severe outcomes, such as hospitalization and death from COVID-19, was even more robust and long-lasting.
Although vaccine effectiveness against infection naturally declined over time and with the emergence of new variants, such as Omicron, booster shots could significantly restore protection against infection. These results underscore the importance of timely vaccination as the primary defense against the public health threat posed by the ongoing pandemic.