A new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found a pill form of the COVID-19 treatment remdesivir could effectively treat COVID-19.
They found a modification of remdesivir was as effective as molnupiravir, another oral antiviral, at reducing COVID-19.
Further, the new drug compound can be adapted into a pill designed to halt coronaviruses before they multiply and cause severe disease.
The study is published in Science Translational Medicine and was conducted by Timothy Sheahan et al.
Remdesivir works by blocking the machinery the virus needs to make copies of itself and spread throughout the body.
The current form of remdesivir must be given intravenously. But an oral version could extend its reach and benefits to patients outside of the hospital.
Oral antiviral medications have the potential to shorten the duration of disease, potentially diminish transmission and prevent hospitalization if taken early enough.
In the study, the team tested the compound named GS-621763 which can quickly turn into remdesivir inside the body.
It was most protective against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, but was also very effective against MERS-CoV, a related virus that causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome.
The team saw protective effects, like reduced lung damage, viral load in the lungs, and improved lung function in infected mice, when we administered the drug at 12 hours or even 24 hours after infection in mice.
In early 2020, the team identified remdesivir as a potential COVID-19 treatment. For nearly two years, remdesivir has been used in hospitals to treat very sick patients with COVID-19.
While the drug has shown mixed results in clinical studies, it’s been surprisingly effective in treating patients early in the disease.
The results of using remdesivir early in the course of disease in outpatients were dramatic. A three-day course resulted in an 87% lower risk of hospitalization and death.
The new study opens the door for remdesivir to take a place among the growing number of oral COVID-19 treatment options.
Recent studies have found a new treatment option for COVID-19, and new air filters could rapidly kill COVID-19 and other viruses, which are highly relevant to the current study.
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Previous research has found several drugs to treat COVID-19.
In a study from The Australian National University and published in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, researchers found heparin, a widely available and affordable drug, could limit lung damage when inhaled by COVID-19 patients.
The researchers examined hospital patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 in 13 countries who were given doses of inhaled heparin.
They found breathing and oxygen levels improved in 70% of patients after inhaling a course of heparin.
Heparin is unique as it has anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-coagulant effects which are considered relevant for the treatment of patients with COVID-19.
Patients with severe COVID-19 disease develop blood clots in the lungs which can be lethal. Blood thinners, such as Heparin, can prevent such clots from forming.
Because the drug has antiviral properties and calms the immune system, it can be used at different stages of treatment.
Indeed, treated patients included in the studies were not uniform in their COVID-19 disease severity, which suggests inhaled Heparin is safe and effective to use across the spectrum of COVID-19 disease.
The team says inhaled heparin has antiviral properties which work by binding to the spike proteins the coronavirus uses to enter the cells of the body.
Inhaled heparin effectively stops the virus from infecting cells in the lungs and could also stop people from getting the virus from others.
It also works as an anti-inflammatory drug—the medicine has the ability to calm everything down when the body is mounting an exaggerated response to the virus.
This drug is already available in hospitals all over the world and it is a very inexpensive drug. If it is as effective as the early results suggest, it could have a major impact in our fight against COVID.
The team emphasizes that there is no other drug that has these three different effects—anti-viral, anti-inflammatory, and anti-coagulant.
Heparin is normally administered via injection, however when inhaled the drug shows promise as a treatment for COVID-19.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about drugs that may reduce COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness, and drugs that could help treat COVID-19.
For more information about Covid, please see recent studies about new universal antibody therapy for all COVID-19 variants, and results showing CBD from cannabis may inhibit COVID-19 infection.
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