So far, there are only preliminary results and the mechanism of action is unclear – as with so many substances that are currently being tested against Covid-19: A gastric remedy is associated with reduced Covid-19 mortality.
“The active ingredient famotidine is used to reduce gastric acid secretion,” the active ingredient that is used against stomach and intestinal ulcers and heartburn is described in the drug register “Yellow List”. Now a new area of application could be added: Covid-19.
According to a previously unpublished study that was not reviewed by independent experts, Covid 19 hospital patients treated with famotidine require less ventilation. A research team led by Daniel Freedberg and Julian Abrams from Columbia University in New York reports that the risk of dying from the infection is also reduced.
Interesting correlation, but no proof of effectiveness yet
“We cannot use our study to say whether famotidine has an effect in Covid 19 patients,” Abrams told Tagesspiegel. The study only shows that there was a link between taking famotidine and better treatment outcomes.
More about the corona virus:
1620 patients were examined, including 84 treated with famotidine. The dose was high: nine times more active substance than is usually given for heartburn. The active substance was injected or taken. Both patient groups were selected equally with regard to age, weight and previous illnesses such as diabetes or high blood pressure. 340 of the patients had to be ventilated or died.
[Wenn Sie alle aktuellen Entwicklungen zur Coronavirus-Krise live auf Ihr Handy haben wollen, empfehlen wir Ihnen unsere runderneuerte App, die Sie hier für Apple- und Android-Geräte herunterladen können.]
In comparison to the rest of the group, less than half of the patients treated with famotidine had to be ventilated and less than a third died. The authors conclude that it is justified to conduct an in-depth efficacy study now. This study is ongoing until the results are available, but the researchers do not want to comment.
Doctors in China had become aware of famotidine. At the beginning of the pandemic, around 20 percent of those over the age of 80 died. However, an analysis of around 6,200 cases of Covid-19 showed that significantly fewer famotidine-taking patients died than those who did not take any or any other stomach medication.
Opponent of the messenger histamine
The active ingredient is an antagonist of the messenger histamine, which among other things contributes to the gastric mucosa releasing stomach acid. In the mucosal cells, formatidin displaces the histamine from its binding sites and ultimately suppresses the release of the acid.
But histamine is also a broad-acting messenger substance that is released by cells of the immune system. It can trigger inflammatory reactions and also a narrowing of the airways. It is therefore quite possible that formatidin will also reduce these reactions. In cell culture experiments, famotidine also had an antiviral effect and inhibited the multiplication of HI viruses.
[Moreonthesubject:[MehrzumThema: A Swiss researcher gives hope in the fight against Covid-19]
In the case of Sars-CoV-2, the active ingredient could also slow down an enzyme, the papain-like protease, which is active in the multiplication of viruses. Initial studies of the molecular form indicate that famotidine can attach to the enzyme and block it.
How and whether famotidine prevents severe courses of infection with Sars-CoV-2 has not yet been clarified. Results from the ongoing study are expected in a few weeks.
–
