Common heartburn pill may have helped Covid-19 patients recover in US

Over-the-counter heartburn medicine Pepcid may have helped Covid-19 patients in hospitals recover in the United States, a CNN report said, citing a paper published on Friday.

The report stated that it was however unclear whether the patients fared better because of the pill or if it was just a coincidence.

"Based on what we've learned in this study, it's encouraging," said Dr Joseph Conigliaro, a co-author of the paper and a physician at Northwell Health. "This association is actually really compelling."

Famotidine -- branded as Pepcid AC -- is an over-the-counter drug taken by millions of people to relieve heartburn and acid reflux.  The drug has been on the market for nearly 40 years.

Researchers in the US looked at ten people who started taking the medication each day while they had the coronavirus.



Among the 1,536 patients in the study who were not taking famotidine, 332, or 22%, either died or were intubated and put on a ventilator. Among the 84 patients who were taking famotidine, 8, or 10%, died or were put on a ventilator, according to the report.

"Compared to the rest of the patients, those who received famotidine had a greater than 2-fold decreased risk of either dying or being intubated," according to a statement by authors of the study at Columbia University Irving Medical Centre.

It's currently not clear how famotidine might work - experts say it may directly stop the virus functioning or boost the immune system.

All of the patients had mild symptoms, suggesting it could benefit thousands who escape a severe bout of Covid-19 and stop them from ending up in hospital.

The researchers have now called for further trials into the indigestion drug, as the race for a cure to halt the pandemic continues.



The report stated that the patients who were taking famotidine started the drug within 24 hours of being admitted to the hospital. Some took it orally and some intravenously, at varying dosages. About 15% of them were already taking it at home.

The study doesn't prove the drug caused the lower death rate -- it's possible that it's just a coincidence.

"It is not clear why those patients who received famotidine had improved outcomes," the authors wrote in their statement. "This is merely an association, and these findings should not be interpreted to mean that famotidine improves outcomes in patients hospitalised with Covid-19."

Pepcid AC is the brand name for famotidine, a generic drug which can relieve the symptoms of indigestion.

The medicine belongs to a class of drugs known as histamine-2 receptor antagonists which help get rid of stomach acid.

Famotidine can be taken in doses of 20-160mg, up to four times every day, to treat acid reflux and heartburn.

The story originally appeared in CNN