Cancer drug that worked on Zika and Ebola might stop coronavirus

[Chris Smith]

• Coronavirus treatment options could include a cancer drug that showed antiviral activity against Zika and Ebola.
• BerGenBio's bemcentinib is currently in Phase 2 clinical trials in the UK. If effective, the drug could be used in COVID-19 therapies in the future.
• This potential coronavirus cure comes as a one-a-day pill that could stop the virus from getting into cells and prevent the infection from deactivating a crucial immune response.

We're all hoping that vaccines will be found to fight against the novel coronavirus and prevent the disease from infecting more people in the years to come. But vaccines might not work, and that's why we're not placing all our eggs in one basket. More than 100 labs are testing vaccine candidates, including a handful of teams that have reached human trials with promising results. But doctors are also developing new COVID-19 therapies that either rely on meds used to treat other ailments, or brand new antibodies-based drugs.

One such drug is remdesivir, which was conceived to treat Ebola but showed promise in COVID-19 therapy. Researchers from Britain and Norway have a different antiviral in mind, one that showed promising results against Zika and Ebola in lab testing, and which is now being tried on coronavirus patients in a clinical trial in the UK.

Continue reading...

Today's Top Deals

1. 10 deals you don’t want to miss on Saturday: Crazy AirPods sale, 80% alcohol sanitizer, KN95 masks, 4K Fire TV, more
2. These 10 Amazon deals are only available to Prime members
3. Amazon is blowing out Fire TVs up to 55 inches with prices starting at $119.99

Trending Right Now:

1. There’s something you need to know about coronavirus and face masks
2. Best Buy’s huge Memorial Day sale is underway – here are the 10 best deals
3. Doctors might already know which drugs can kill the coronavirus

Cancer drug that worked on Zika and Ebola might stop coronavirus originally appeared on BGR.com on Fri, 22 May 2020 at 19:06:55 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Via BRG - Boy Genius Report