Cancer drug for COVID-19

The collaborative study, led by the Hudson Institute of Medical Research, found that the drug idronoxil, which was originally developed to treat cancers, could reduce the inflammation that occurs in response to COVID-19.

Professor Hansbro, co-senior author of the study, said that the body’s inflammatory response plays a critical role in controlling viruses like SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19. However, the disease can become deadly if the inflammation increased out of control.

“COVID-19 has highlighted how damaging out-of-control inflammation can be. A severe hyper-inflammatory response can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome and organ failure,” said Professor Hansbro.

The researchers found that the therapeutic targeting of a single protein activated by several inflammatory pathways can help limit the dangerous inflammation that can result from COVID-19, without increasing viral replication in the lung.

This led to the discovery that idronoxil administered 3 days after infection could reduce the inflammation resulting from SARS-CoV-2 infection in a pre-clinical mouse model of the disease.

The Hudson Institute’s Associate Professor Michael Gantier, who led the study, said that he believed idronoxil or its potential derivatives could not only help treat COVID-19 patients with severe lung hyper-inflammation but that it could also have potential application in treating future emerging viruses.

The research was published in the prestigious journal, Nature Communications with Dr Matt Johansen co-first author on the study.