*1.3. Treatment of Coronaviruses*

There is an urgent need to develop therapeutic drugs and vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, respectively. As these drugs still are under investigation, research also focuses on existing drugs with proven effectiveness in other (corona-)viral diseases. Sometimes this is referred to as "repurposing". Using currently approved drugs for other indications reduces time, costs and safety issues. Calcineurin inhibitors (CNI) showing favorable effects in multiple coronaviruses, thereby replacing the "one-drug-for-one-bug" paradigm. They are well-known, already existing drugs in transplant medicine used for solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients, and are also prescribed in rheumatology, dermatology and ophthalmology.
