Various different medications are available to treat COVID-19:

Antiviral medications

Antiviral medications act to prevent the coronavirus from spreading within the body. They can be used at different times in the course of the illness. Used at an early stage, antivirals can reduce the risk of hospitalization and can prevent the illness from becoming severe. Used at an advanced stage, antivirals can stabilize the patient’s condition, reduce the risk of death and shorten recovery time.

Antiinflammatory medications

In severe cases of COVID-19 there is often an overactive immune response which can be very harmful to the patient. Antiinflammatory agents can be used to combat the overactive immune response. This treatment is recommended primarily for intensive care patients on ventilation.

Anticoagulant medications

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 can increase the risk of blood clot formation (thrombosis). Anticoagulant medications can be used to counteract this.

Monoclonal antibodies

 

Antibody treatments are used to prevent the illness from becoming severe. Various antibodies are available and can be given individually or as a mixture (an “antibody cocktail”). They are commonly used for the early treatment of patients who are at increased risk of becoming severely ill.

Other medications

Infection with SARS-CoV-2 can lead to bacterial infections such as pneumonia and it can also cause organ damage. These need to be treated appropriately, for example with antibiotics. When deciding which medications might be suitable and which ones can be used, it is necessary to consider not only how the illness is expressed - for example, inhalation sprays may be helpful to treat the symptoms – but also to take account of factors such as the patient’s age and general physical state.

Further information about treatment is available at the Federal Health Ministry’s website gesund.bund.de. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) provides an overview of the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 which is updated regularly.

An overview of the COVID-19 medications that have been authorized, or for which authorization is pending, is given by vfa (the association of researching pharmaceutical companies).

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