CEO says there’s ‘reasonable confidence’ famotodine trial for coronavirus could make a difference

[KenH]

“Dowling said there are approximately 200 patients currently enrolled in the trial, which uses nine times the amount of famotidine that someone would usually take to treat heartburn, as first reported by Science Magazine. Famotidine is a common ingredient found in Pepcid, a heartburn medication.”

Northwell Health CEO says there's 'reasonable confidence' heartburn drug famotodine could help coronavirus

 

[church mouse guy]

I want to say that if I ate a bowl bat soup, I would be sure to take a bottle of Pepcid afterwards.

 

[Gold Dragon]

“Dowling said there are approximately 200 patients currently enrolled in the trial, which uses nine times the amount of famotidine that someone would usually take to treat heartburn, as first reported by Science Magazine. Famotidine is a common ingredient found in Pepcid, a heartburn medication.”

Northwell Health CEO says there's 'reasonable confidence' heartburn drug famotodine could help coronavirus

The Science article has some interesting data behind it that may make this drug more promising than some others suggested so far.

New York clinical trial quietly tests heartburn remedy against coronavirus

The virus was killing as many as one out of five patients older than 80. Patients of all ages with hypertension and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were faring poorly. Callahan and his Chinese colleagues got curious about why many of the survivors tended to be poor. “Why are these elderly peasants not dying?” he asks.

In reviewing 6212 COVID-19 patient records, the doctors noticed that many survivors had been suffering from chronic heartburn and were on famotidine rather than more-expensive omeprazole (Prilosec), the medicine of choice both in the United States and among wealthier Chinese. Hospitalized COVID-19 patients on famotidine appeared to be dying at a rate of about 14% compared with 27% for those not on the drug, although the analysis was crude and the result was not statistically significant.