(STUDY FINDS) — WASHINGTON — Over the relatively short span of COVID-19’s existence, there have already been a multitude of drugs put forth as a potential solution. Unfortunately, none so far have proven to be all that effective. Now, a new study has identified two new drugs that may help in the fight against the coronavirus. Both drugs are already FDA approved to treat other illnesses, which could considerably shorten the amount of time it takes for them to be accepted for COVID-19 treatment.
One drug, niclosamide, is usually used as an an anti-helminthic (anti-parasitic). The other drug, ciclesonide, is an inhaled corticosteroid used for asthma and allergic rhinitis.
To come to their conclusions, the research team behind this study screened 48 FDA-approved drugs against SARS-CoV-2. These two drugs showed the most promise at neutralizing the coronavirus. These tests were performed using Vero cells, or cells developed from the kidney cells of African Green Monkeys. These primate cells are frequently used to grow viruses for vaccine production.
