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Earlier this year, the UK launched the Randomized Evaluation of Covid-19 Therapy (RECOVERY), which included more than 16,000 patients in 176 hospitals. They recently announced plans to include aspirin as an additional drug treatment in the RECOVERY trials due to its blood-thinning properties.
Many patients with severe cases have been observed to experience blood clotting, usually due to underlying conditions such as cardiovascular conditions. Aspirin can be used as an antiplatelet agent to reduce the risk of blood clots in Covid-19 patients.
Professor Peter Horby said that aspirin is an important addition to trials because it is safe, inexpensive, widely available, and can be beneficial for critically ill patients. The trials will help determine whether the 160-year-old drug can be used as an effective treatment. At least 2,000 patients will randomly receive 150 milligrams of aspirin added to their standard treatment every day.
Professor Martin Landray explained how aspirin is used to treat various conditions associated with blood clots, such as strokes and heart attacks. The results will also reveal “whether there are clear benefits for COVID-19 patients and whether those benefits outweigh any potential side effects, such as the risk of bleeding.”
Blood clots in Covid-19 patients
In early July, researchers published a study linking the coronavirus and blood clots or thrombosis in the legs, resulting in ischemia in the legs. Blood clots in the pulmonary arteries (lungs) have already established themselves previously.
Dr. Inessa Goldman explained that the leg ischemia associated with the coronavirus resulted in a high percentage of amputation or death. Patients with coronavirus and thrombosis increased the risk of damage to the lining of the arteries and other immune reactions.
In another study, autopsies of coronavirus patients revealed thrombosis in the kidney and the heart as well. A prominent finding in patients, while they were alive, was diffuse alveolar damage or the body’s response to lung tissue.
Thrombosis UK Professor Beverly Hunt explained that Covid-19 makes the blood sticky, resulting in deep vein thrombosis. Researchers from Imperial College London recommended that blood-thinning medications be added to the treatment of Covid-19 patients.
Read also: Coronavirus linked to blood clots in patients’ legs
Other drugs and traditional treatments
At the moment, the other treatments in the RECOVERY trial include the antibiotic Azithromycin, an injectable anti-inflammatory drug called Tocilizumab, and convalescent plasma from recovered donors. Regeneron also developed a cocktail of anti-viral antibodies called REGN-COV2.
The team will also measure the death rate after four weeks. Those who are allergic to aspirin or who already have significant bleeding will not be included in the trial.
Other drug treatments include hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial drug, FDA-approved remdesivir, and steroids. The World Health Organization also recently approved a protocol for phase three clinical trials of herbal drugs for coronavirus.
Dr Prosper Tumusiime from WHO Africa said that “solid science is the only basis for safe and effective traditional medicine therapies”. Both the Ebola and Covid-19 outbreaks in Africa have highlighted the need for advanced research in drug treatments, including traditional medicine, he said.
Read also: WHO approves protocol to test herbal drugs as COVID-19 treatment
Check out more news and information on coronavirus treatments at Science Times.
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