The success of an antimicrobial drug in combating Corona in Hong Kong

Scientists in Hong Kong announced Monday that an affordable antimicrobial drug used to treat stomach ulcers and bacterial infections has shown promising results in combating the Corona virus in animals.

The researchers worked to explore whether metallic drugs, compounds that contain minerals and are commonly used to fight bacteria, may also have antiviral properties that can fight the SARS-Covid-2 virus.

Using Syrian mice in the laboratory, the researchers found that one of the drugs, ranitidine bismuth citrate, was "a powerful agent against SARS-Cove-2".

The researcher at the University of Hong Kong Ranming Wang told reporters Monday during the team's presentation of the study that the drug ranitidine bismuth citrate "is able to reduce the viral load in the lung of an infected mouse by tenfold .... Our findings show that this drug is a potential antiviral agent in the case of Covid." -19 ».

As scientists struggle to find an effective vaccine, they are also searching for readily available drugs that may alleviate symptoms caused by "Covid-19" disease or help the body fight infection.

Both remdesivir, a broad-spectrum antiviral drug, and dexamethasone, a type of corticosteroid, were found to have some success against the virus.

Doctors used both drugs to treat US President Donald Trump after contracting Covid-19.

However, remdesivir is expensive and there is a global shortage of stocks, while dexamethasone has risky immunosuppressive effects for all but the most ill patients.

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