Under the title "A Popular Drug Prevents Infection from Dangerous Strains of COVID-19," Al-Ittihad newspaper reported that the search for a medication or vaccine to assist patients infected with the novel coronavirus seems unending. After discussing drugs like hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir, and various asthma inhalers, new research has emerged indicating that scientists have discovered the potential use of a drug typically prescribed for prostate cancer against COVID-19, as it prevents the virus from replicating within patients' lungs, according to the British paper "Daily Mail."
Enzalutamide is a treatment for advanced prostate cancer that works by affecting testosterone levels, inhibiting the growth of prostate cancer cells. However, British researchers from the University of Essex and Imperial College London also found that it reduces the levels of a protein that COVID-19 uses to invade cells in the respiratory system, thereby giving the virus less opportunity to cause inflammation.
This protein, named TMPRSS2, assists the coronavirus in entering the lungs by "preparing" the sharp protrusions on the surface of the coronavirus, allowing it to attach to human cells. It is well-known that male sex hormones, known as androgens, increase the levels of this protein; this could be one reason men have been more susceptible to serious infections than women during the pandemic.
Recent studies showed that treatment with enzalutamide reduces TMPRSS2 protein levels in laboratory-grown human lung cells. This drug is available in several countries for treating prostate cancer patients. Most importantly, it significantly prevents the entry of the coronavirus and therefore the infection.
The researchers concluded that the drug reduces the virus's entry into lung cells by approximately 50% and decreases viral infection by 18 times. Dr. Greg Brooke, who co-led the study, stated, "Men are more likely to experience severe illness and death from COVID-19 compared to women. This suggests that the male hormone androgen may play a role in the virus's severity."
He added, "For many years, I have worked on the role of androgens in cancer. Therefore, I was able to use this knowledge to investigate whether anti-androgens, drugs used for prostate cancer treatment, could reduce the infection of the novel coronavirus."
Dr. Brooke confirmed, "We have demonstrated that these drugs reduce the virus's ability to enter the lungs. Therefore, our data supports clinical trials to verify whether anti-androgens can reduce the severity of COVID-19 in individuals infected with the virus."
The study's authors noted that their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, highlight the need for further research to allow "a range of medications" to enter the arsenal of treatments used against the virus. Professor Charlotte Bevan, who also worked on the research, stated, "This study not only supports further clinical investigations of prostate cancer drugs but also suggests other medications we can test that may be beneficial in efforts to combat COVID-19."
She explained that "medications that have been tried, tested, and approved for other diseases have the advantage that they can be repurposed in this way relatively quickly." Other drugs found to treat COVID-19 include dexamethasone for inflammation, tocilizumab for arthritis, and remdesivir.
