Study suggests vitamin B12 as a SARS-CoV-2 antiviral Researchers in the UK and Spain have used a novel drug screening approach to identify compounds that could serve as effective antivirals against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The team used a quantum-inspired device in combination with a more traditional fingerprinting method to search for drugs that are similar to remdesivir, the only antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 that is currently approved for human use. “The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to identify new therapeutics at pace, including through drug repurposing,” says the team from Fujitsu Technology Solutions in Madrid and King’s College Hospital in London.