No shortcuts to SARS-CoV-2 antivirals

Are many drug repurposers pursuing artifacts? When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, there was massive investment into the discovery of new treatments. Given the urgent need, repurposing of approved or clinically pretested drugs appeared especially attractive because that strategy promised fast initiation of antiviral clinical studies. On page 541 of this issue, the study by Tummino et al. ( 1 ) raises concerns that many drug candidates that showed antiviral activity in hypothesis-free cellular screens and were then repurposed to treat severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections may be scientific dead ends. Their study is a warning that even amid the pressure of a pandemic, scientific diligence is still essential.