Heartburn Medications were tested to treat Covid-19

Drugs for reducing stomach reflux or famotidine heartburn are being tested for treatment of Covid-19 patients at New York hospitals.

The information was confirmed by officials in New York on April 27. The trial was conducted by Feinstein Medical Research Institute of Northwell Health, which operates a network of 23 hospitals in New York City. 

At least 187 patients participated in the trial. Results are expected in the next few weeks. Dr Kevin Tracey, president of the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, said he hoped to recruit an additional 1,200 participants.

"People are hoping for everything they can against nCoV. So this clinical trial is needed. There are many examples in medical history, showing that a drug is made for this purpose. works with another disease, "says Tracey.   

Dr. Kevin also emphasized that he did not know if famotidine would work for Covid-19 patients, but once the progress is made, the widespread application will be very easy. However, he warned patients not to go to the pharmacy and arbitrarily buy heartburn pills to drink.   

"Patients who participated in the trial were given intravenous heartburn medication. The doses for these patients were nine times higher than those for ordinary heartburn," said Tracey.

Half of the patients on the trial will receive famotidine, the other half will receive a placebo. In addition, patients are also receiving anti-malarial drugs hydroxychloroquine.

However, hydroxychloroquine may not be recommended in the future. Last week, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning warning that the drug could pose serious cardiovascular risks when tested for Covid-19 patients.   

Dr. Tracey shared that he had an idea to study famotidine after talking with an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. This colleague once worked with nCoV-infected patients in China. He observed that the poor heartburn survived longer than the rich heartburn. He found that poorer people were taking famotidine while wealthy patients tended to take a more expensive drug.    

In addition, Florida-based Alool Laboratories used a computer model to make a list of current drugs that can combat nCoV and famotidine that appear at the top of the list.   

Tracey said that because theoretically, the structure of famotidine helps it prevent viruses from replicating, similar to the way protease inhibitors are used to treat HIV, against viruses. He said he would set up an independent council to monitor the trial and make decisions about whether to continue using the drug.

As of April 28, the world recorded more than three million nCoV infections, of which more than 210,000 people have died, with some countries limiting when the situation is more stable. 

The largest epidemic zone in the US recorded nearly 1 million cases, of which nearly 56,000 died. So far, the US has done nearly 5.6 million tests, the highest in the world, but experts say this number is not enough.   

Southeast Asia recorded 40,766 cases of nCoV, of which 1,445 died.  Cambodia, East Timor and Laos have not recorded deaths.