Gout Medicine Could Also Battle COVID-19 – FDA Approved and Has Potent Antiviral Properties

Antiviral Artist's Concept

Gout medicine probenecid shows promise in fighting SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and flu due to its broad antiviral properties.

As COVID-19 cases continue to skyrocket across the U.S. and the world, few options are available for treating patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2

But new research from the University of Georgia offers hope for a viable therapeutic to combat the disease that has claimed more than 4 million lives worldwide. 

Published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, the study found that probenecid has broad antiviral properties, making it a prime candidate to combat not only SARS-CoV-2 infection but also other common and deadly respiratory viruses like RSV and flu.

Probenecid is an FDA-approved medication that’s primarily used to treat gout, and it’s already widely available in the U.S. The drug has been on the market for over 40 years and has minimal side effects.

Ralph Tripp

Ralph Tripp, GRA Eminent Scholar of Vaccine and Therapeutic Studies at the University of Georgia. Credit: UGA

“There’s really nothing out there to safely fight these viruses,” said Ralph Tripp, lead author of the study and GRA Eminent Scholar of Vaccine and Therapeutic Studies in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “This antiviral works for all RNA respiratory viruses we tested, including SARS-CoV-2. RSV, coronavirus, and flu all circulate in the same season. The bottom line is you can potentially reduce infection and disease using this one oral drug.”

Blocking viral reproduction

Viruses work by coopting a person’s own cells to replicate and produce more of the virus. Probenecid blocks that replication process, keeping the virus from infecting the individual’s cells.

In clinical development at the pharmaceutical company TrippBio, Tripp showed the drug works as a prophylactic prior to virus exposure and as a post-exposure treatment in animal models against SARS-CoV-2 and flu. The drug also has proven effective in fighting the RSV in vitro, and in vivo studies are in progress.

Although the drug would primarily be used after a person is positive for the virus, the prophylactic findings mean people with known exposures could also potentially take the drug to prevent getting sick. 

COVID-19 treatment options limited

The current go-to treatments for seriously ill COVID-19 patients, remdesivir and monoclonal antibodies, can only be given through an IV. And by the time a COVID patient needs them, it’s often too late.

“These treatments have seen some effectiveness against SARS-CoV-2, but they’re very expensive and very hard to come by,” Tripp said. “In reality, there are only a handful of options that can actually be used because of the cost, restricted IV usage, and lack of access. That’s not very useful to the world.”

Probenecid, on the other hand, is widely available. Primary care physicians could prescribe a pill to patients, and they could pick it up at their local drugstore.

Repurposing drugs that are already approved to work against one problem is common. For example, remdesivir was originally intended to fight Ebola virus, but when it showed some promise in fighting the coronavirus, it was enlisted to battle COVID-19.

In addition to preventing illness before it starts, probenecid may also potentially increase the efficacy of other treatments. Probenecid is already used to up the potency of some antibiotics, so it’s possible the medication could work in conjunction with other COVID-19 treatments as well.

Now the researchers are investigating what dosage of probenecid could have the biggest impact fighting viruses in people. TrippBio is set to begin clinical trials of the medication within the year.

“SARS-CoV-2, RSV, and flu have a huge impact on health systems throughout the world,” Tripp said. “Probenecid has a potent antiviral effect against these viruses, and it works safely.”  

Probenecid is already FDA approved and has potent antiviral properties against SARS-CoV-2.

Reference: “Probenecid inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication in vivo and in vitro” by Jackelyn Murray, Robert J. Hogan, David E. Martin, Kathy Blahunka, Fred D. Sancilio, Rajiv Balyan, Mark Lovern, Richard Still and Ralph A. Tripp, 10 September 2021, Scientific Reports.
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-97658-w

17 Comments on "Gout Medicine Could Also Battle COVID-19 – FDA Approved and Has Potent Antiviral Properties"

  1. Bonjour…merci…

  2. why use a antivirus on gout, when its a uric acid problem

  3. IN VITRO STUDIES, MTF!
    IN VITRO STUDIES ARE THE EQUIVALENT OF BOILING WATER TO KILL BACTERIA: STOP SPREADING MANIPULATION TO A PSEUDO SCIENTIFIC AUDIENCE.
    IN BRASIL 585000 PEOPLE DIED BECAUSE OUR PRESIDENT DECIDED TO PROPAGATE IVERMECTIN AND CLOROQUINE AS EFFICIENT WHILE HE REFUSED TO BUY VACCINES.
    STOP SPREADING FALSE HOPE AND MANIPULATING PEOPLE.
    VACCINATE YOUR KIDS, GUYS.

  4. Monoclonal antibodies therapy works 85% of the time against Covid. It must be given within 10 days of a positive diagnosis and preferably within 4 days. The treatment is free and requires an IV drip or 4 injections within 20 minutes. The State of Florida has opened up monoclonal clinics around the state and is working very well to keep people out of the hospital. The Trump administration purchased every dose of Regeneron says the therapy is called.

    • The treatment is free lol, it’s 5 grand a go, are you serious and what are you blabbering on about orange jebuz trump for?, he did nothing and still does nothing absolute crazy guy.

  5. Instead of pumping a few liters of monoclonal antibodies into your body, you could just have one or two shots of 0.000250 liter of vaccine and the cost difference for the ultimate payer, the government, is more than $2,500.00 less for vaccines. What do you think is the correct course of action?

    • These people with there monoclonal antibodies that cost thousands and is as “experimental” as the jab are anti science religious nut jobs, so they won’t get the vaccine but will take another so called unknown drug, oh btw FDA just approved the vaccine.

  6. The utterly criminal medical allopathy keeps promoting THEIR wares while ignoring and suppressing cheap safe effective Covid remedies typical of their heinous shameful history — read “The 2 Married Pink Elephants In The Historical Room –The Holocaustal Covid-19 Coronavirus Madness: A Sociological Perspective  & Historical Assessment Of The Covid “Phenomenon”” by Rolf Hefti at https://www.rolf-hefti.com/covid-19-coronavirus.html

    • Their wares like a few grands worth of monoclonal antibodies? Instead of a free vaccine lol, yeah very greedy people giving vaccines away for FREE, HOW do I do a face palm on here.🤦‍♂️

  7. Remdesivir causes kidney failure so no that is not a good option. I noticed you didn’t include Ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine zinc and Z pack in your therapeutic cures for covid. Of course not because the things that are saving people are never talked about. But go ahead and continue to push something that is killing people and make sure you put people on respirators because that’ll definitely kill them. One of these days somebody out there who is writing news articles will actually grow some balls and put the truth out so people can be saved. The majority of us know this and we are sick and tired of the constant lies that are being pushed because you are killing people. Not quite sure what’s wrong with the m s m. Who controls you? Who tells you to print lies? I don’t understand. And unfortunately there is gullible enough people out there who believe the tripe in the crap in the lies that you continue to push.

    • Are you seriously saying ivermectin and hydroxychloron saved people?, I’ll say no more because the way you wrote that comment leaves me wondering what the hell side you’re on.

    • So I read it again and you are saying that those medications work, my God man are you brain dead, instead of YouTube TV try any normal doctor not a quack a real doctor.

  8. And don’t forget to go to America’s Frontline doctors. Org and get the covid protocol so nobody in your family or any of your friends will have to die from covid.

  9. It’s is obvious to people who are awake and can think that “Peter” is a criminal establishment shill or troll.

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