Table 2 The summary of drugs and vaccines with their targets, structures, and advantages

Inactivated and protein subunit vaccines

 Sinopharm

 CanSinoBIO

 Sinovac

 AstraZeneca

 Sputnik V

• Spike protein

• A virus that has been chemically inactivated after being grown in a culture

• 86% effectivity of Sinopharm

[56, 57]

Nucleic acid vaccines

 DNA vaccines

  LineaRx

  Takis Biotech

  ZyCoV-D vaccine

• Enhance the induction of T cells

• Different forms of the SARS-CoV-2 S protein are encoded by this gene

• The response was mediated by type I helper T cells (Th1) rather than type II helper T cells (Th2)

• Viral genetic sequence-based and S protein genetic sequence-based)

• The safety and efficacy

• Humoral and cellular immunity

[58,59,60]

 Vector vaccines

  Houston-based Greffex Inc

  Adenovirus Type 5 Vector

  ChAdOx1 nCoV-19

  Adeno-based (rAd26-S + rAd5-S)

  Ad26COVS1

  Johnson & Johnson

  AstraZeneca

• Engineered viruses incapable of replication

• An adenovirus vector or other vector for the construction of SARS-CoV-2

• Elicits the innate immune responses that are necessary for adaptive immune responses

• Effective in avoiding hospitalization and death caused by COVID-19

[56, 58, 59]

 mRNA vaccines

  Moderna

  Pfizer

  BioNTech

  German biopharmaceutical

  ZY Therapeutics

  CanSino

  CureVac AG

  Stermirna Therapeutics

  Guanhao Biotech Therapeutics

  BDGENE

• SARS-CoV-2 S protein and RBD domain

• Lipid nanoparticles

• 90% effectiveness against the clinical disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, with very few side effects

• The rapidity of vaccine production

• Ability to produce responses to TH1 and TH2

• Vaccines for children and common SARS-CoV-2 variants that are approved

[56, 58, 61]

 Subunit vaccines

  Novavax

  Johnson & Johnson

  Chongqing Zhifei

  Sanofi Pasteur/GSK

• Viral proteins are injected into the host

• Recombinant SARS-CoV-2 in its entirety glycoprotein nanoparticle vaccine adjuvanted

• The best alternative is vaccines with adjuvanted subunits

[58, 59, 62]

 Virus-like particles vaccines

  Medicago Inc

• Proteins from the viral capsid

• Induced immunity against SARS-CoV-2

• VLP is derived from plants and adjuvanted with Dynavax or GSK adjuvants

• VLP vaccines are recombinant genetically modified viruses that are generally thought to be safe because they fail to replicate

• Whole S protein

• Immunogenicity and safety advantages

[58, 63]

Drugs

 Arbidol (umifenovir)

• Targets ACE2 protein and S protein interaction causes the viral envelope's membrane fusion to be prevented

• Reduce the SARS virus's envelope's fusion

• Advantages against SARS-CoV-2

[64, 65]

 Camostat

• TMPRSS2 inhibitor of the host serine protease

• Advantages against SARS-CoV-2

[64, 65]

 Hydroxychloroquine

• Acts on the spike glycoprotein-ganglioside receptor and its interaction with the ACE2 receptor

• Reduced endosome acidification and attenuation of host receptor glycosylation, proteolytic processing, cytokine production, lysosomal activity, autophagy, and endocytic pathways

• Enhances intracellular pH, eventually affects cathepsins, inhibits antigen-presenting cells (APCs), autophagosomal functions, MAP kinase, and autophagosomal functions

• Structural damage to SARS-CoV-2's spike proteins

• Anti-inflammatory effect on IL-17, IL-122, and IL-6 cytokines

[64, 65]

 Remdesivir

• Use RdRp to stop translation and replication processes

• Inhibits NSP12 in other coronaviruses

• As evidenced by the low polymerase activity in host cells during the Ebola virus outbreak

• Undergoing in patients with mild, moderate, and severe SARS-CoV-2

[64, 65]