A drug commonly used to treat stomach ulcers has shown promise in preventing the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus from replicating in an animal model, a study by Hong Kong’s top university has found.
The findings of the research, led by University of Hong Kong (HKU) scientists and published in Nature Microbiology on Wednesday, could provide a new and readily available treatment option for Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease Covid-19.
The researchers said the drug, ranitidine bismuth citrate (RBC), could achieve similar outcomes to the coronavirus drug remdesivir, but at a lower cost.
RBC contains a metal called bismuth, which researchers said could reduce viral loads in coronavirus-infected human and animal cells to less than a thousandth of their previous levels.