According to a new study, fenofibrate, a drug used to treat abnormal levels of fatty substances in the blood, could reduce COVID-19 infection by up to 70%
In the study, researchers from the University of Birmingham, Keele University and the San Raffaele Scientific Institute tested a range of already licensed drugs – including fenofibrate, a drug used to treat abnormal levels of fatty substances in the blood – to identify which of these would disrupt ACE2 and Spike interactions.
After identifying fenofibrate as a candidate, they then tested its ability to reduce infection in cells using the original strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
They found fenofibrate reduced infection by up to 70% and additional unpublished data also indicates that it is equally effective against newer variants.
The full study ‘The hyperlipidaemic drug fenofibrate significantly reduces infection by SARS-1 CoV-2 in cell culture models’ has been published in Frontiers in Pharmacology.
