Doctors are still doubtful on treating the disease, four years after its outbreak.
In all, 8,000 persons were infected and 700 were killed around the world over the period of 2002-2003.
The outbreak called for a review of clinical results by the World Health Organization. The agency's aim was to assist the doctors with a solid treatment plan in the wake of another outbreak.
Epidemiologist Lauren Stockman at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and her team looked at studies on six SARS treatments. One of the treatments they focused on was antiviral treatments i.e.ribavirin, and corticosteroids used to dampen the immune system.
The team found that in the 54 clinical studies of "SARS-treatment outcomes," most were "inconclusive." Eight of them showed harmful effects from the drugs.
The researchers did not say that the drugs did not have a beneficial role but they did say that the treatments were not rigorous enough as in a clinical trial.
However, some studies point out that ribavirin and steroids are harmful, increasing the risk of anemia and bone deterioration respectively.
Nevertheless, the researchers found that some of the drugs used, did look as if they inhibited the SARS virus in the lab on tissues that were infected.
