Cancer Drug Can Help Treat Inflammation Caused by COVID-19

By
Ashley Seek
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In primary school, one of my favourite games to play with my friends was ‘catching’ or ‘tag’.

But in the last year, one thing that none of us would like to catch is COVID-19.

And if you ever suspect you might have symptoms of it, you can go here for a self-assessment just to make sure, or go to a doctor.

Though one of the more nasty things it can cause is inflammation.

And despite numerous vaccines, we’re always looking for new ways to fight this virus.

Cancer Drug Can Help Treat Inflammation Caused by COVID-19

And there might’ve been a breakthrough recently.

CNA reported that a chemotherapeutic drug, called Topotecan, could potentially be used in the treatment of COVID-19, according to a study by Singapore and US researchers.

Normally used for cancer patients, the drug was found to suppress inflammation in the lungs of laboratory animals.

As such, the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) thinks it might also work for humans.

In collaboration with Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in the United States, the findings were published online in March.

NCIS said the drug will soon be tested if it’s safe for humans and will be evaluated at clinical sites around the world.

They also have a research grant to conduct a Phase 1 clinical trial of Topotecan in COVID-19 patients.

Usage Of The Drug

And while a drug used for cancer treatment does sound scary, it’s not nearly as bad as it sounds.

One of the study’s author’s, Dr Anand Jeyasekharan, said that Topotecan is able to suppress inflammation induced by the COVID-19 virus at a dose lower than typically used in cancer treatment.

He also said that it’s both inexpensive and globally available.

Another doctor noted that such findings were good as not all parts of the world have easy access to vaccines.

One NCIS spokesman talked about how the virus triggers excess white blood cells to be produced.

While normally used to fight infections, too much can flood the infected area.

This then causes severe inflammation, tissue damage and possibly death too.

“Reduction of the inflammatory state in such patients could therefore improve their clinical outcomes.”

Dr Jeyasekharan said that repurposing existing drugs is going to be important against COVID-19.

Drug Was Researched Years Prior

Another professor, Ivan Marazzi of the Microbiology Department at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai noted how the early stages of COVID-19 were hard to detect.

However, Topotecan could limit the “hyper-inflammation” in the lungs of infected animals even days after the infection.

In fact, the current study was expanded from one done by Dr Marazzi’s team in 2016.

NCIS noted that the initial research found that inhibiting the activation of inflammatory genes Topotecan could be used to fight a potential pandemic.

And look at how useful it is now! A good example of preparedness indeed.

COVID-19 tests and preventive measures are evolving besides vaccines. Hopefully, with a more available treatment like this, more people can be helped.

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Ashley Seek
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