Scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem say they have identified several drugs that may help treat, if not "cure" people who develop COVID-19.
Prof. Shy Arkin, a biochemist at the Alexander Silberman Life Science Institute, told The Jerusalem Post that in laboratory tests in which cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 were placed alongside drugs for two days, “almost 100% of the cells lived despite being infected with the virus."
In contrast, without the previous drug compounds, about 50% of the cells died after coming into contact with the virus.
Arkin and his team combed through a library of more than 2,800 compounds approved for use, identifying 18 drugs they thought might be effective. In the unpublished work, the researchers were able to show that some of these compounds "exhibited remarkable potency against the whole virus in in-vitro experiments."
Two of them are Darapladib, used to treat atherosclerosis, and Flumatinib, used to treat certain blood cancers. Arkin said he was reluctant to name any of the drugs, adding that he could not recommend them until they underwent proper clinical trials.
(BalkanWeb)
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