Dengue is the most significant arthropod-borne viral infection of humans.
More than 3.8 billion people live in endemic areas. Dengue virus infection (DVI)
results in more than 500,000 hospitalizations every year, with increased threats of
dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS) during secondary
infections. In spite of the high disease burden of the dengue virus, there are no specific
antiviral drugs available, and the approved vaccine is harmful in the naïve population
with respect to the initiation of primary dengue infection. Several clinically approved
drugs have entered human clinical trials. This review addresses the repurposing drug
targets that have been investigated in DHF and DSS patients. Furthermore, their
essential antiviral action and specific classes of clinically approved drugs have been
clarified. These clinical trials' outcomes can enhance our understanding of the antiviral
activities of these repurposing drugs to alleviate the clinical severity of dengue viral
infection.
Keywords: Antiviral treatment, Balapiravir, Celgosivir, Chloroquine, Clinically
approved drugs, Cromolyn, Dengue hemorrhagic fever antibiotics, Doxycycline,
Ivermectin, Ketotifen, Montelukast, Repurposing drugs, Ribavirin, Rupatadine,
Sofosbuvir, UV-4B.