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Is the anti-filarial drug diethylcarbamazine useful to treat COVID-19?

ABSTRACT: SARS-CoV-2 virus has resulted in a devastating pandemic of COVID-19. Exploring compounds that could offer a breakthrough in treatment is the need of the hour. Re-positioning cheap, freely available and safe drugs is a priority. The paper proposes evidence for the potential use of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) in the treatment of COVID-19. DEC has inhibitory effects on arachidonic acid metabolism to prostaglandins, little known anti-viral effects on animal retroviruses and demonstrated anti-inflammatory actions in animal models of lung inflammation indicating the need to explore this hypothesis further. We believe this is the first time DEC is being proposed to treat COVID-19.

SUBMITTER: Abeygunasekera A

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7232076 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Is the anti-filarial drug diethylcarbamazine useful to treat COVID-19?

Abeygunasekera Anuruddha A Jayasinghe Saroj S

Medical hypotheses 20200518

SARS-CoV-2 virus has resulted in a devastating pandemic of COVID-19. Exploring compounds that could offer a breakthrough in treatment is the need of the hour. Re-positioning cheap, freely available and safe drugs is a priority. The paper proposes evidence for the potential use of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) in the treatment of COVID-19. DEC has inhibitory effects on arachidonic acid metabolism to prostaglandins, little known anti-viral effects on animal retroviruses and demonstrated anti-inflammato ...[more]

PMID: 32492560

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