Scientists examine potential uses of diabetes drug in the fight against Covid-19

From left to right: Dr. Dietrich Büsselberg, Dr. Samson Mathews Samuel and Elizabeth Varghese

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine – Qatar (WCM-Q) have examined whether a common diabetes drug could provide some protection against hospitalisation and death in patients with Covid-19. In the article, Dr Samson Mathews Samuel, Elizabeth Varghese, and lead investigator Dr Dietrich Büsselberg outlined the possibility of re-purposing metformin as a potential drug that can protect against and treat severe effects of the novel coronavirus. Diabetic patients already have a compromised immune response and are more prone to severe bacterial and viral infections, require more recovery time, and present longer-lasting adverse effects than their non-diabetic counterparts. Proper management of controlled blood glucose levels is closely related to the body's ability to regulate immune and inflammatory responses and fight infections in chronic diabetic patients. It is known that Covid-19 is potentially more severe in diabetic patients, with a higher risk of hospitalization and death. The virus’ disease severity and the risk of mortality in diabetic patients can be correlated to hyperglycemia, diabetes-associated endothelial dysfunction, and hyperactive inflammatory and immune responses.