A widely available drug, used for treatment of asthma and allergies, can also block a protein that is key to replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, a study by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) researchers has found. The study has been published in the journal.
The drug, montelukast, is an oral treatment given to prevent wheezing, difficulty breathing, chest tightness, and coughing caused by asthma, and also used to prevent breathing difficulties during exercise, according to the US National Library of Medicine.
Montelukast is prescribed in India by physicians. It is readily available as tablets and syrup (for kids) in pharmacy shops under different brand names.
In fact, some clinicians were using montelukast to treat Covid-19 patients because of its known role in making breathing easier in asthma patients, The researchers. “However, it was not known that this drug also has antiviral activity, which we have figured out in this study.”
Content source: DNA
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