Covid-19 patients given famotidine, a heartburn medication sold under the name Pepcid, saw symptoms such as coughing and shortness of breath within a few hours in a recent study
A 40 pence over-the-counter digestive pill taken by millions could help fight the coronavirus and speed recovery.
Covid-19 patients on famotidine, sold under the Pepcid brand name, felt better within 48 hours and their symptoms disappeared after two weeks.
The potential breakthrough will raise hopes that it can be used to fight the disease and accelerate Britain’s return to normal.
US doctors described the results as “promising” and are now calling for a clinical trial to determine whether the drug can fight the pandemic.
Professor Tobias Janowitz said he could investigate its use in fighting the virus in patients while “reducing the risk of transmission”.
He added: “The results of this case series suggest that high-dose oral famotidine is well tolerated and is associated with improved patient-reported outcomes in non-hospitalized patients with Covid-19.
“Our case series suggests a benefit of treatment with famotidine in outpatients with Covid-19, but does not prove it.”
Prof. Janowitz of New York’s Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Cancer Center said that more work is needed to “evaluate possible drugs for Covid-19 as for other diseases.”
The study found that symptoms improved within hours – especially coughing and shortness of breath – and disappeared within two weeks.
Most patients (70%) did not experience any side effects from the drug, which costs around £ 13 for 30 20 mg tablets. To those who did, they were mild like temporary forgetfulness.
Everyone started taking Pepcid when they felt very sick.
The most common dose was 80 mg three times a day, with the average duration of treatment being 11 days.
Although it is unclear how the drug could work, researchers believe it could disable the virus or change a person’s immune response to it.
Older survivors in China have reportedly consumed the drug, which is taken up to four times a day.
It belongs to a class of medicines known as histamine 2 receptor antagonists, which treat acid reflux and heartburn by reducing stomach acid.
The study was published in the British journal Gut.
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