Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Published : December 2, 2020 5:18 PM IST
Ivermectin was able to kill COVID-19 grown in cell cultures within two days.
As scientists come to know more about the novel coronavirus, they are able to find with more potential treatment procedures for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Scientists from Monash University in Australia found that anti-parasitic drug "Ivermectin" was able to kill COVID-19 grown in cell cultures in less than 48 hours.
Ivermectin is an approved anti-parasitic drug known to be effective against a variety of viruses like HIV, influenza, dengue, and Zika.
Besides removing all viral RNA by 48 hours, Ivermectin was able to significantly reduce the virus in 24 hours, stated the study published in the journal "Antiviral Research".
However, the authors noted that more testing needs to be undertaken to ascertain its true usefulness in fighting COVID-19.
The scientists didn't reveal the correct dosage, but the drug is considered largely safe. They also don't know exactly how Ivermectin kills COVID-19, but they believe that the drug dampens down host cells.
Instead of focusing on new treatments, existing treatments like Ivermectin could bring reprieve to people, the scientists opined.
However, they cautioned that the use of Ivermectin to combat coronavirus depends largely on further testing and the results then produced.
A study published in Nature in July listed 21 known drugs that can stop the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Of these, 13 have previously entered clinical trials for COVID-19 treatment. These include astemizole (allergies), clofazamine (leprosy), hanfangchin A (antimalarial drug), apilimod (autoimmune diseases) and ONO 5334 (osteoporosis).
The authors of the study stated that four of these drugs can work synergistically with remdesivir, which is currently used as a standard-of-care treatment for COVID-19 in many countries.
A study from China's Wuhan University found that statins the commonly used cholesterol-lowering drugs helped lower death rate and reduce incidence of mechanical ventilation in hospitalised COVID-19 patients. In the study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, statins were used in combination with blood pressure-lowering drugs called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs).
In some hospitals, statin therapy is included in the COVID-19 treatment protocol.
Many hospitals across the world are also using commonly prescribed antibiotic, azithromycin, as the first line of treatment for COVID-19. It is often given to patients along with a vitamin to keep the disease under control.
While many existing drugs have shown promise as potential cures for COVID-19, some have had unwanted and adverse effects. Here are drugs that caused side effects in COVID-19 patients.
This drug that is traditionally used to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis was highly touted as a possible cure for COVID-19. But later many researches highlighted the potential dangers of using this drug. A report in The Lancet revealed that coronavirus patients receiving hydroxychloroquine were more likely to die and experience dangerous irregular heartbeats.
A study from the University of Illinois Chicago in the US, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, warned that the use of azithromycin may increase the risk for cardiac events in COVID-19 patients if taken with certain other drugs that affect the electrical functioning of the heart. Another study published in the journal Lancet Rheumatology linked that the combination of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and azithromycin (AZM) to significant cardiovascular risks.
The World Health Organization (WHO) last month warned that the antiviral drug remdesivir should not be used to treat COVID-19 patients as there is no evidence it works. The WHO recommendation, published in the British Medical Journal, noted that "any beneficial effects of remdesivir, if they do exist, are likely to be small and the possibility of important harm remains."
