In a new study, researchers found that a federally approved heart medication could interfere with SARS-CoV-2 entry into the human cell host.
The medication bepridil, which goes by the trade name Vascor, is currently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat angina, a heart condition.
The research was conducted by a team from Texas A&M University and elsewhere.
Only one medication is currently available, Remdesivir, to provide limited benefits to COVID-19 patients, and the virus may easily evade it.
In the study, the team screened more than 30 FDA/European Medicines Agency approved drugs for their ability to inhibit SARS-COV-2’s entry into human cells.
They found bepridil to offer the most potential for the treatment of COVID-19.
As a result, the researchers are advocating for the serious consideration of using bepridil in clinical tests related to SARS-CoV-2.
The team, which includes six other researchers, now plans to advance their work to animal models with a potential for clinical trials.
One author of the study is College of Science professor Wenshe Ray Liu.
The study is published in PNAS.
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