RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 COVID-19 treatment: Combining anti-inflammatory and antiviral therapeutics using a network-based approach JF Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine JO Cleve Clin J Med FD Cleveland Clinic DO 10.3949/ccjm.87a.ccc037 A1 Feixiong Cheng A1 Sujata Rao A1 Reena Mehra YR 2020 UL http://www.ccjm.org/content/early/2020/06/24/ccjm.87a.ccc037.abstract AB To date, there are no effective antiviral medications for COVID-19. Drug repurposing, a strategy that uses existing drugs, offers potential prevention and treatment options for COVID-19. We discuss one treatment strategy that combines anti-inflammatory (melatonin) and antiviral (toremifene) agents for patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 from network medicine-based findings. We also describe the pathobiology and immunologic characteristics of COVID-19 and highlight the rationale of combination drug treatment to rescue the pulmonary and cardiovascular conditions resulting from COVID-19. A preliminary analysis reveals a high potential for the synergistic effects of melatonin and toremifene to reduce viral infection and replication, and the aberrant host inflammatory responses, offering strong biologic plausibility as an effective therapy for COVID-19.