Potential new treatment strategies for COVID-19: is there a role for bromhexine as add-on therapy?
- 26 May 2020
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Internal and Emergency Medicine
- Vol. 15 (5), 801-812
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-020-02383-3
Abstract
Of huge importance now is to provide a fast, cost-effective, safe, and immediately available pharmaceutical solution to curb the rapid global spread of SARS-CoV-2. Recent publications on SARS-CoV-2 have brought attention to the possible benefit of chloroquine in the treatment of patients infected by SARS-CoV-2. Whether chloroquine can treat SARS-CoV-2 alone and also work as a prophylactic is doubtful. An effective prophylactic medication to prevent viral entry has to contain, at least, either a protease inhibitor or a competitive virus ACE2-binding inhibitor. Using bromhexine at a dosage that selectively inhibits TMPRSS2 and, in so doing, inhibits TMPRSS2-specific viral entry is likely to be effective against SARS-CoV-2. We propose the use of bromhexine as a prophylactic and treatment. We encourage the scientific community to assess bromhexine clinically as a prophylactic and curative treatment. If proven to be effective, this would allow a rapid, accessible, and cost-effective application worldwide.This publication has 74 references indexed in Scilit:
- Hemagglutinin activating host cell proteases provide promising drug targets for the treatment of influenza A and B virus infectionsVaccine, 2012
- Anti-malaria drug chloroquine is highly effective in treating avian influenza A H5N1 virus infection in an animal modelCell Research, 2012
- Mechanisms of Coronavirus Cell Entry Mediated by the Viral Spike ProteinViruses, 2012
- The protective effects of Ambroxol in Pseudomonas aeruginosa -induced pneumonia in ratsVideosurgery and Other Miniinvasive Techniques, 2011
- Antiviral Activity of Chloroquine against Human Coronavirus OC43 Infection in Newborn MiceAntimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, 2009
- Chloroquine inhibits production of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated human monocytes/macrophages by different modesRheumatology, 2006
- Multiple organ infection and the pathogenesis of SARSThe Journal of Experimental Medicine, 2005
- In vitro inhibition of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus by chloroquineBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2004
- Lethality and Behavioral Side Effects of ChloroquineJournal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 1982
- Effect of chloroquine on the growth of animal virusesArchiv für die gesamte Virusforschung, 1972