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?:abstract
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INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic poses an unprecedented challenge for the rapid discovery of drugs against this life-threatening disease. Owing to the peculiar features of the metal centers that are currently used in medicinal chemistry, metallodrugs might offer an excellent opportunity to achieve this goal. AREAS COVERED: Two main strategies for developing metal-based drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 are herein illustrated. Firstly, a few clinically approved metallodrugs could be evaluated in patients according to a \'drug repurposing\' approach. To this respect, the gold drug auranofin seems a promising candidate, but some other clinically established metal compounds are worthy of a careful evaluation as well. On the other hand, libraries of inorganic compounds, featuring a large chemical diversity, should be screened to identify the most effective molecules. This second strategy might be assisted by a pathway-driven discovery approach arising from a preliminary knowledge of the mode of action, exploitable to inhibit the functional activities of the key viral proteins. Also, attention must be paid to selectivity and toxicity issues. EXPERT OPINION: The medicinal inorganic chemistry community may offer a valuable contribution against COVID-19. The screening of metallodrugs\' libraries can expand the explored \'chemical space\' and increase the chance of finding effective anti-COVID agents.
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