A £16.50 blood thinner could be used to save treat Covid patients by sparing the lungs, a study suggested today.
Researchers in the UK and Australia found heparin — sold under the brand names Lovenox, Fragmin and Innohep in Britain — improved Oxygen levels by 70 per cent in Covid patients in hospital.
The study did not include the patients’ records of vaccinations and 30% died from the virus, despite its effects.
Researchers said the unique drug was used to treat blood-clots.
Although it is being prescribed to Brits with Covid-related clots, the effects of the drug on Covid are not yet known.
Although Herapin is typically injected, it can be inhaled. The trial found that the drug was safe and effective against Covid.
It is believed to stop the virus from multiplying in your lungs. The anti-inflammatory properties of the drug also prevent the immune system reacting too much. Although heparin was the only drug that researchers studied, it could also be used to treat other types of blood thinners.
Covid is a deadly substance that can cause pneumonia. This causes the blood to stop flowing to the major organs and the body from supplying oxygen.
The drug can be used in countries with fewer people who have had their vaccines and are therefore more susceptible to being admitted.
King’s College London’s researchers found that Heparin can increase oxygen levels by 75% in HIV patients. Graph showing blood oxygenation after treatment with the blood thinner Day Zero in 98 Covid victims
Professor van Haren claimed that vaccination isn’t enough to prevent the epidemic.
“This could be a great help in countries that are less able to get vaccinations. We think this could also benefit front-line workers, who might use it to prevent future outbreaks.
“Inhaled hemoparin offers a promising alternative to Covid treatment that’s safe, effective and low-cost. This is also affordable for low- and middle-income countries.
Around 20 per cent of people infected with the virus develop hypoxaemia — a drop in oxygen saturation in the blood — which is the main cause of hospitalisation, the researchers from King’s College London and the Australian National University said.
And some of those in hospital experience respiratory failure, with up to a quarter requiring mechanical ventilation in intensive care.
Numerous studies show that Omicron does less damage to the lower lungs of previous versions. The researchers suggest that the drug could help those who need it.
Britain currently has two antiviral treatments specifically for Covid approved — Merck’s molnupiravir and Pfizer’s Paxlovid — but the researchers will continue to collect evidence on heparin’s use in fighting off the virus.
Additional treatments are available to seriously ill patients such as sotrovimab and monoclonal antibodies, dexamethasone.
This study was published in The British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. It examined 98 Covid patients who had been infected with the virus and were treated in Argentina and the US between January 2020 and April 2020.
Because of this time period, most patients wouldn’t have been vaccinated.
They were split over two hospitals in the US — Frederick Health Hospital in Maryland, and Coney Island Hospital in New York — and the San Camilo Clinic in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Average age for the patients was 66.
Total of 79 patients did not have mechanical ventilation while 19 had it.
Nearly two thirds (62%) of those surveyed were taking antiviral medication remdesivir already. This is a licensed emergency treatment for Covid patients in England.
Researchers measured their level of blood oxygen levels before and after being given the drug — which was administered in three different dosages.
The drug costs just £16.50 per dose when administering 5,000 International Units per dose — the second most common dosage used in the study (32 per cent).
The drug increased the blood volume in all patients after they took it. However, the largest increase was seen in those who received the maximum dosage (25,000 IU) which was given to 62% patients.
With 29 (31%) dying, a total of 69 people survived. The survivors were able to breathe better and avoided the need for a ventilator.
Around 20 per cent of people infected with the virus develop hypoxaemia — a drop in oxygen saturation in the blood — which is the main cause of hospitalisation
To determine the drug’s safety, researchers measured bleeding.
Two patients who had suffered major bleeding were already placed on ventilators. However, the doctors concluded that it was unlikely that the drug would cause any problems.
Cystic fibrosis patients who have other diseases like cystic lung disease are at high risk of being exposed to the drug.
Researchers concluded that their results showed promise for the use of heparin in Covid treatments.
Frank van Haren (study leader), is an intens care physician from the Australian National University. He said that the drug was already in use at hospitals around the globe and is very affordable.
“If the results are as encouraging as we think, this could make a significant impact on our fight against Covid.”
Prof. Clive Page from King’s College London is the co-author. Heparin can be inhaled and bound to spike proteins that coronaviruses use to enter cells.
Inhaled Heparin can effectively stop the virus from infecting the cells of the lungs. It could also prevent people from contracting the virus by inhaling heparin.
‘It also works as an anti-inflammatory drug — the medicine has the ability to calm everything down when the body is mounting an exaggerated response to the virus.
‘We have already discovered that heparin can decrease lung damage due to inflammation. This is similar to what we observe in other diseases of the lungs, and could be of benefit for Covid patients.
He added: ‘There is no other drug that has these three different effects — anti-viral, anti-inflammatory and anti-coagulant.’