Anti-diabetic drug promises therapeutic solution to COVID

An anti-diabetic drug ‘Ertugliflozin’ might provide a therapeutic solution to the COVID-19 infection as a repurposed drug. This is following ‘in-vitro’ and ‘in-silico’ studies done by the ASPIRE-BioNE

An anti-diabetic drug ‘Ertugliflozin’ might provide a therapeutic solution to the COVID-19 infection as a repurposed drug. This is following ‘in-vitro’ and ‘in-silico’ studies done by the ASPIRE-BioNEST, a life sciences incubator jointly funded by Department of Biotechnology and University of Hyderabad (UoH), ReaGene Innovations and INDRAS Private Limited. The findings announced here on Thursday indicate that this repurposed drug not only binds effectively to the receptor-binding domain of the spike protein of COVID-19 but also displays significant anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic properties in a 3D human vascular lung model, both of which are fundamentals in COVID-19 infection, said an official press release. “This offers a safe, ready-to-use, cost-effective solution to humans who contract COVID-19 and immense potential to treat the infection. Our research proves its efficacy in the test-tube assays,” said CEO of ReaGene Innovations Uday Saxena. This start-up is co-founded by Dr. Subramanyam Vangala, and Dr. Sreedhara Voleti, MD of INDRAS. Ertugliflozin is an FDA approved drug for Type-2 diabetes, works as an inhibitor by removing excessive glucose through urine.