British researchers want to repurpose existing antiviral therapies to treat COVID-19, the University of Oxford said, in an attempt to sidestep lengthy development processes through readily available drugs.

138 drugs to be screened

Scientists will initially screen 138 drugs with known antiviral activity against the COVID-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus to study and identify potent combinations, the university said in a statement on Friday.

The rapid spread of Omicron across the world has also forced researchers to find options that work against the variant. Britain currently has the seventh-highest tally of COVID-19 cases globally, according to Reuters.

The most effective combinations discovered through the project will be presented to British authorities, including the Antiviral Task Force and UK-CTAP, so they can be added to clinical trials, Oxford said.

"There are multiple benefits with discovering new treatments in this way," said Ultan Power, one of the principal investigators o ...