Since December 2019，the novel coronavirus pneumonia（coronavirus disease 2019，COVID-19）has spread to all provinces of China and some other regions abroad. As of February 21，2020，the total number of confirmed cases in China has exceeded 70 000. In terms of antiviral drugs，there are still no confirmed effective drugs against COVID-19. The present study aims to introduce the potential effective drugs and related research progress，providing helpful information for improving the cure rate，reducing the mortality and controlling the development of the epidemic.