Nitric oxide research aims to help treat Covid-19

Medical researchers are testing whether inhaled nitric oxide can help treat patients with coronaviruses.

Range of Research and clinical trials This ongoing goal at the Massachusetts General Hospital seeks to determine if familiar treatments can help sick people, prevent intubation, and even protect health care workers from infection.

As of Friday, more than 3.25 million people had Covid-19 contracts and 233,439 deaths worldwide, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

In the United States alone, approximately one-third of the coronavirus cases reported earlier this week are tackling the problem, surpassing the milestone of 1 million cases.

The virus outbreak first emerged in late 2019, meaning that countries around the world had to be effectively shut down. Containment measures have been implemented in 187 countries or regions to slow the spread of the pandemic.

There are no known vaccines or specific antivirals against Covid-19. However, scientists around the world are expediting research into effective treatments. Health officials in the United States say that vaccine development will take at least 12-18 months.

Nitric oxide is a colorless, tasteless, short-acting gas that, when inhaled, widens the blood vessels of the lungs. Often used as the first line of treatment for oxygen-deficient premature babies.

This compound is made up of one part nitrogen and one part oxygen, the two most common gases in the atmosphere.

In 1998, the pharmacologist Louis Ignarro received the Nobel Prize for discovering nitric oxide as a cardiovascular signaling molecule. It was subsequently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1999, and doctors have been using the compound for a wide range of medical conditions ever since.

Nitric oxide played a central role in the development of the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra in the 90’s. Sildenafil, the main constituent of blue tablets, makes the relaxing effect of nitric oxide in the body stronger and increases blood flow.

Stuart Harris, the attending physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, told CNBC that four studies were ongoing to investigate whether inhaled nitric oxide could be used to treat coronaviruses.

In each study, Harris said hospitals had several different outcomes, including attempts to keep people alive in the intensive care unit, efforts to prevent them from being intubated, and keeping health workers from getting sick. I was considering.

“The lungs can be thought of as a market that brings air and blood together,” Harris said. The most likely way that Covid-19 can be deadly is by damaging its market and preventing blood from supplying enough oxygen to the body.

“Nitric oxide is a smooth muscle relaxant. It’s usually a very low-pressure blood vessel in the lungs that pumps and relaxes blood wherever nitric oxide spreads. It basically creates an efficient market. More and more, the lungs can do their job, “he explained.

Preliminary data suggest that inhaled nitric oxide may have a virus-killing effect on coronavirus, Massachusetts General Hospital Say in online statement. This is due to the similarity of the genome that caused the outbreaks of SARS and MERS with Covid-19. Studies during the SARS outbreak from 2004 to 2005 have shown that nitric oxide is effective in killing the virus.

Indeed, the efficacy of nitric oxide in the treatment of new coronaviruses has not been studied so far.

FDA is in ongoing discussions with Gilead to make lemdesibir available to Covid-19 patients after initial results of drug trials are available Showed improvement among patients.

But so far, there is no approved cure for coronavirus.

When asked if he believed the study of nitric oxide would lead to effective coronavirus treatment, Harris replied: “I don’t know, so I’m doing research. But this is, in a closer look, and frankly, among the other studies being done, I suggest more than some others. I spent a lot of money on the mechanics doing. “

Separately, a researcher Cut short A study testing the antimalarial drug chloroquine as a potential treatment for Covid-19 last week.

The drug was found in two small studies published last month in France after a much faster clearance of coronavirus infections in patients with coronavirus infections compared to controls. , Gained international attention.

But because of the high risk of death, scientists have warned that clinical trials should now be abolished and some skepticism should be encouraged towards drug enthusiasts. President Donald Trump was promoting chloroquine as a potential. ”Game changer“In the fight against the virus.

— CNBC Berkeley Love Race Junior I contributed to this report.