Some researchers argue that COVID-19 is a vascular disease as well as a respiratory one and have been testing cardiovascular drugs’ ability to reduce inflammation and fluid in the lungs.
Several trials are testing losartan, a high blood pressure drug that could block the angiotensin receptor that causes inflammation and fluid in the lungs. The Honolulu-based University of Hawaii at Manoa is also set to conduct a trial testing telmisartan, a similar drug. Research is also underway on how statins, drugs that lower cholesterol, treat COVID-19 complications.
Researchers are also conducting trials testing anti-platelet drugs and blood thinners as effective COVID-19 treatments. Blood thinners, which are regularly prescribed to COVID-19 patients to help reduce blood clots, are being studied to discover if they are more effective in high or low doses at New York City-based New York University’s Langone Hospital.
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