Hebrew U Researcher Identifies Drug That Lessens COVID-19’s Effects

An existing drug could mitigate the serious effects of the coronavirus.

Research at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem has shown that Fenofibrate (Tricor), an FDA-approved drug that has been on the market since 1975, prevents the progression of the virus by breaking down the fatty buildup in the lung cells of patients, allowing them to recover from lung infections caused by the coronavirus in a matter of days. The evidence even showed that there was zero mortality among these patients, according to the university.

The study of lab-based results and new data from 1,500 Israel-based Corona patients was led by Dr. Yaakov Nahmias, director of the Center for Bioengineering at Hebrew University. Clinical studies are scheduled to begin this week at Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, Israel, as well as other clinical centers across the United States, South America and Europe.