Israeli scientists claim drugs for Gaucher’s disease can cure corona. They said two drugs used to treat Gaucher’s disease, a genetic disorder, are effective against COVID-19 caused by the novel coronavirus.
Israeli scientists said two drugs used to treat Gaucher’s disease – a genetic disorder that causes the buildup of fatty substances in liver, spleen and other organs – are effective against the novel coronavirus infection. According to a study conducted by the Defense Ministry-run Israel Institute for Biological Research (IIBR), the existing drug Cerdelga and another drug that is currently in advanced stages of approval can serve as an antiviral therapeutic target against SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 disease, as well as other viruses.
The study published in bioRxiv preprint platform said that the antiviral treatment using both the medications resulted in a significant reduction in the replication capacity of coronavirus. The results are encouraging considering the fact that replication causes the destruction and mortality of the infected human cell. The scientists claimed that this decrease in viral replication prevents further cell damage after infection.
For the study, the researchers at IIBR examined the analogues of the drugs Cerdelga and Remdesivir, reported the Jerusalem Post. The trials were conducted in cell cultures, and scientists are now testing the drugs on animals to see whether they produce the same results.
“Infection with SARS-CoV-2 reduced cell viability to 40% in the untreated cell,” a 24-page report by IIBR showed. However, when treated with Cerdelga and Remdesivir, cell viability was increased to between 75% and 100%, demonstrating that they “have an antiviral effect on the SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolate in vitro,” the paper said.
Both the drugs were previously found to be effective against other virus strains such as influenza and West Nile viruses on animals.
A release about the research circulated by the Defense Ministry said that the results indicate their potential in treating various viral diseases effectively, including future outbreaks of new viruses, once they are clinically approved.
