Indigestion pill could be effective treatment
A CHEAP indigestion pill could be used to treat those with Covid-19 who do not yet need hospital care, research suggests.
A small study of 10 patients found all felt better within two days of taking famotidine and their symptoms mostly cleared up within two weeks.
Scientists called for a larger trial to determine whether the widely available drug, also sold under the brand name Pepcid AC, could help in the fight against the virus.
Famotidine belongs to a class of drugs known as histamine-2 receptor antagonists, which reduce the amount of stomach acid produced.
It can be taken in doses of 20-160mg, up to four times-aday, to treat acid reflux and heartburn. All ten patients happened to have been taking the pills during their illness.
They saw an improvement across all categories of symptoms including cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache and loss of taste and smell. US Professor Tobias Janowitz, who led the study, said: “Effective treatment strategies for non-hospitalised patients are required.
“Famotidine may be a candidate medication for this.”
However, the researchers stressed they could not be sure the effect was caused by the drug due to the small sample size.
Meanwhile, British scientists are studying whether a commonly-used antiobiotic could also help to alleviate milder Covid symptoms.
The drug azithromycin – used to treat infections such as pneumonia – is known to have unusual anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties.
That makes it a promising potential therapy, according to chief investigator Dr
Tim Hinks.
The first of 800 trial patients was recruited at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital on Wednesday.
Dr Hinks, of Oxford University, said: “Azithromycin is safe, inexpensive and widely available worldwide.
“So, if effective, it could be a very useful weapon in the fight against this pandemic.”