A pair of over-the-counter compounds has been found in preliminary tests to inhibit the virus that causes COVID-19, University of Florida (UF) Health researchers have found.
The combination includes diphenhydramine, an antihistamine used for allergy symptoms. When paired with lactoferrin, a protein found in cow and human milk, the compounds were found to hinder the SARS-CoV-2 virus during tests in monkey cells and human lung cells.
The findings by David A. Ostrov, Ph.D., an immunologist and associate professor in the UF College of Medicine’s department of pathology, immunology and laboratory medicine and his colleagues, are published in the journal Pathogens.
“We found out why certain drugs are active against the virus that causes COVID-19. Then, we found an antiviral combination that can be effective, economical, and has a long history of safety,” Ostrov said.
Due to his earlier research with colleagues at UF, Ostrov already knew diphenhydramine was potentially effective against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The latest discovery has its roots in a routine meeting of scientists with the Global Virus Network’s COVID-19 task force. One researcher presented unpublished data on federally approved compounds that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 activity, including lactoferrin.
Like diphenhydramine, lactoferrin is available without a prescription. Ostrov thought about pairing it with diphenhydramine and ran with the idea. In lab tests on human and monkey cells, the combination was particularly potent: Individually, the two compounds each inhibited SARS-CoV-2 virus replication by about 30%. Together, they reduced virus replication by 99%.
The findings, Ostrov said, are a first step in developing a formulation that could be used to accelerate COVID-19 recovery. It also raises the prospect of further study through an academic-corporate partnership for human clinical trials focused on COVID-19 prevention. Additional research into the compounds’ effectiveness for COVID-19 prevention is already underway in mouse models.
To establish their findings, the research team focused on proteins expressed in human cells known as sigma receptors. In COVID-19 cases, the virus “hijacks” stress-response machinery, including sigma receptors, in order to replicate in the body. Interfering with that signaling appears to be the key to inhibiting the virus’s potency. “We now know the detailed mechanism of how certain drugs inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection,” Ostrov said.
Data from the experiments show that a highly specific sigma receptor binding drug candidate (with pain relieving properties), and formulated combinations of over-the-counter products (such as diphenhydramine and lactoferrin) have the potential to inhibit virus infection and decrease recovery time from COVID-19, the researchers concluded.
While the findings are encouraging, Ostrov cautions against self-medicating with either diphenhydramine or lactoferrin as a COVID-19 prevention or treatment. The type of lactoferrin used in the research differs slightly from the type that is commonly available to consumers, he noted. Lactoferrin is commonly used as a supplement to treat stomach and intestinal ulcers, among other uses.
Reference: “Highly Specific Sigma Receptor Ligands Exhibit Anti-Viral Properties in SARS-CoV-2 Infected Cells” by David A. Ostrov, Andrew P. Bluhm, Danmeng Li, Juveriya Qamar Khan, Megha Rohamare, Karthic Rajamanickam, Kalpana K. Bhanumathy, Jocelyne Lew, Darryl Falzarano, Franco J. Vizeacoumar, Joyce A. Wilson, Marco Mottinelli, Siva Rama Raju Kanumuri, Abhisheak Sharma, Christopher R. McCurdy and Michael H. Norris, 20 November 2021, Pathogens.
DOI: 10.3390/pathogens10111514
Scientists from UF’s Emerging Pathogens Institute, College of Pharmacy and Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the University of Saskatchewan and the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency collaborated on the research.
Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.
51 Comments
Bombastic headline, the first thing I thought was that the author could be only the Great Orange…
Did you read the research?
It’s a shame you didn’t bother to read the article (at least) or the linked studies, because you’d have realized your infatuation with President Trump is just silly.
Hey, Ceret….
Got Trump Derangement Syndrome?
Don’t worry, your government and the CDC will put a stop to this outrage as soon as they find no money can be made from it.
That does seem to be the pattern. People, including Fauci, have been so eager for an mRNA vaccine for anything since at least since 2018, that Big Medicine seems to have ignored treatment almost completely.
Do you also see racists under your bed? In the closet?
Almost any compound will do this in high enough concentration, simply by slowing or preventing normal cell processes. Many now abandoned treatments had similar claims. The trick is maintaining normal cell function, for all types of cells in your body. The article makes no mention of that.
Didnt the article mention these are common OTC meds? Do you believe that these OTC meds will harm you? Article also cites study results and I didnt see anything about mass death.
How does a highly educated doctor believe in vaccines, when germ theory was proven false?
How does injecting poison directly into the blood stream constitute immunity?
“If you have antibodies against something, it is merely an indicator of current damage, not future defense.” This, btw, is related to why the supposed “protection” of the vaccines, waned. Because the body neutralizes, filters and gets rid of that toxic crap. Their measure of “protection” is ACTUALLY, a measure of damage.
Anything that elicits an “immune response” is A BAD THING.”
The vaccine is the disease.
> germ theory was proven false
I’ll need sources for that dawg
NOBODY has proven germ theory to be false. That’s a modern myth being spread by the same cabal-directed propaganda organization which promotes the flat earth lie. And you can tell that the flat-earth thing IS a psy-op, because the people promoting it keep on doing so regardless of how much evidence is presented to contradict their claims.
Someone should be researching BHT and monolaurin also. These type of safe and inexpensive substances could save thousands of lives ,but perhaps only in a country that doesn’t suffer from a ‘hurdle’ like FDA approval. No pharma is going to spend 100million bucks on something not patentable.
Late Reply.. I had a convrsation with some folks in Europe about the BHT..which is used for Herpes Virus. No one could Think why it would not work, taking into consideration
the physical likeness of the two beasties.
So .. WE…tried it in conjunction with ivermectin…in appropriate dosage. WE being myself and others..respiratory therapists…in high exposure environment.
No one tested positive for covid but me. I tested negative 6 days later. There were
no symptoms. This was in first few weeks of 2022.
This is hardly a scientific experiment!..or peer reviewed thingie.
Check out the BHT thing on other sources.. When I graduated from Biosystems Intitute
it was the beginning of the HIV/Aids epidemic, andI remember my first patient.. the poor soul had thrush so bad you couldnt intubate him. That HIV would nail you if you inhaled one droplet of blood. Bad a** s***.
Anyway thats all I have to offer…except this. Fauci was around then..hes a few years older than me; and was assuring us students there would a vaccine out for HIV.
I believe we are still waiting. He was an a** then and he still is.. thank you.
Since no test differentiates between ‘COVID-19’ and any other cold or flu virus, this work is redundant and misleading. like if I claimed to have invented pancakes.
What are you talking about? My kids get colds all the time and we have to test…and they all come back negative, so the tests can differentiate between the covid19 and common colds/flu.
True, but in the case of the generic coronavirus model, in which the common cold and many versions of the flu are members, perhaps this is the home remedy in-waiting for the common cold? So, who cares if this un-isolated thing called Covid-19 even exists, perhaps we have finally slain a giant of a disease called the cold!
May I point out that the Covid 19 virus has led to many people being socially isolated and left to their own devices scanning Web sites. Also that the winter weather is keeping many people indoors as well.
If we had REAL science at work, all of this would have happened 2 years ago while everyone was waiting for the “vaccines.” Instead everyone was told there was nothing and to simply mask, distance, and hope to not die. Meanwhile vitamin D levels are directly corellated with Covid outcomes, and decades of research clearly show those additional things that work to boost the immune system for little cost and no prescription. But a treatment would have undermined the mass profit and mass murder strategy of mass “vaccination,” the EUA for the jabs required that there be no alternative treatments. These are crimes against humanity, nothing less.
BRAVO!!! 👏👏👏
This virus is not like any other cold or flu virus, it’s an animal virus and human virus and will be with us forever or until sometime in the future when you and I are long dead. If any of you are interested in just what form you need to take of the Lacto Ferrin, it’s the Apolactoferrin and the source is Life Extension. https://www.lifeextension.com/magazine/2000/10/report_lactoferrin
“This virus is not like any other cold or flu virus, it’s an animal virus and human virus and will be with us forever or until sometime in the future when you and I are long dead.”
Dude, literally EVERY flu virus that people get is “an animal virus and a human virus”. because flu does not naturally reside in humans, because our bodies don’t tolerate it (either a human’s immune system kills the flu, or the flu kills that human). The natural “pool” for flu consists of swine (pigs, hogs, etc.) and fowl (specifically, chicken and ducks).
Please refrain from posting on subjects about which your total “knowledge” is literally worse than complete ignorance.
I have stacks of (saved) research papers indicating that there are many legitimate alternatives we could have – and should have – tried at the beginning of this pandemic, while awaiting the magic elixir in a vaccine. Unfortunately, there was no sensible, uniform protocols for doctors to follow when dealing with Covid19 patients, other than to tell them to go home, wait it out, and come back if they got worse. The Covid19 800K death count is a testament to the failure of the medical establishment to ‘do no harm’ by ignoring/denying alternative treatments, even in the throes of thousands of deaths per day.
Who or what decided that wearing masks, social distancing and lockdowns were the intelligent choice to battle this pandemic while frustrated doctors from around the globe were shut down, shut up, ostracized, deplatformed and fired for speaking out against these meaningless protocols? Whose idea was it to ban age-old, proven safe drugs like HCQ and Ivermectin when doctors and their patients were willing to try it in hopes of a better outcome? It was lobbyists, politicians and doctors/researchers without conscience, who put more value on pocketbooks than on my life or yours. As loved ones are dying in hospital and family members are begging to have Ivermectin administered, even as a last ditch effort to save them, doctors are shrugging their shoulders and refusing to act.
This is not healthcare. This is a crime against humanity. We are no less oppressed than the Uyghurs – it’s just that our oppression is disguised as public health for your own good.
Precisely! And I’d add that the suppression of experimentation of possible approaches by the hapless Fauci & Co. constitutes crimes against humanity as well!
And, pray tell, if these are
“over the counter” drugs, under what name shall I look for them at CVS? Since CVS now refuses to fill my doctor’s prescription for Ivermectin…
A nonchain, small family Pharmacy will usually fill it.
“Since no test differentiates between ‘COVID-19’ and any other cold or flu virus,”
That’s because “covid-19” *IS* flu. That’s why covid-19 is the only (supposed) coronavirus which causes the same symptoms as flu, instead of coronavirus symptoms, which are colds.
This just in, CVXS / Wallagreens remove all Allergy medication from the shelfs and will not sell it…. because…
Your Dr. Can prescribe Hydroxoxyzine 50mg for Stress(it is an antihistamine.
About twice the strength of Benadryl 25mg.
Explains why kids don’t seem to be significantly effected. They’re probably the largest consumers of milk. Of course, that’s only half of the concoction. How many kids have to take allergy medicine on a regular basis?
This reminds me of that old saying, “If you are not part of the solution, you must be part of the problem!”
I hold an MS in Biochemistry with major hours in Physics, Chemistry, Math and Earth Science. I read the paper which made the claim. The mixture is Diphenylhydramine at 330mg (54.25ug/ml) and Lactoferrin at 2.4 grams (400ug/ml) to form one dose per day. Diphenylhydramine is also known as Benadryl, for which the safe dose is 50mg/d for adults. Taking more than that is dangerous. At Amazon 30 500mg pills of Lactoferrin costs $1 each. $30 would give you only a 6 day supply. The elderly should never take this concoction because of the damage it can do to the lungs, liver, gastrointestinal tract and stomach. Ivermectin is a lot safer and more effective IF you can get it. It’s dosage rate is 0.2 to 0.6 mg/kg body mass, taken once every five days. Fauci’s favorite pill, remdesivir, was found to have limited effectiveness, if any. In fact, the AJMC wrote:
“After halting its study 2 weeks ago examining the efficacy of Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir in patients with COVID-19, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) discussed in a piece by STAT how it decided to stop the trial, which then limited researchers’ ability to collect more data on whether the drug saves lives. As indicated in the trial, the difference in mortality between patients with COVID-19 given remdesivir (8%) and placebo (11.6%) was not statistically significant when it was halted. However, officials at NIAID indicate that the potential of putting patients at risk of dying outweighed the need for proof of the drug’s efficacy.”
So, it’s better to market an essentially ineffective treatment for covid because people are dying from it? Very self-serving logic, to say the least. Never fear, the “fact checkers” soon piled on and in short order Remdesivir was a miracle drug.
Great comment. I wonder if is it necessary to take Diphenylhydramine at 330mg per day when Lactoferrin is the component that blocks the SARS-COV-2 virus from attaching to a cell’s ACE2 receptor? The Diphenylhydramine acts as an antihistamine in this case to lower inflammation. A 6-day supply of Lf at $30 does not seem expensive compared to death, long-term medical complications, and hospital bills.
Also, some products sold through big online retailers are fake and I wouldn’t depend on them for my life. It may be best to order direct from a manufacturer or a reputable supplement company that does frequent third party testing. The Lf used in the mentioned study is liposomal, which is not easily found.
I would like to see a study that pairs three components like a lower dose of DP + Lf + ivermectin to get close to 99%. Too many more and it looks like the MATH+ protocol. It might also be wise to call local hospitals/clinics in advance to find who offers monoclonal antibody treatment and the qualifying criteria.
It’s difficult to procure/prescribe Ivermectin off label, so alternatives like this are good to know. DISCLAIMER: Nothing in this post is medical advice.
I keep finding a graph showing the middle of Africa with 1/20 the death of the ends, because those countries don’t use ivermectin and the middle ones do. Source is supposed to be Johns-Hopkins. When I searched for docs I find real things like this from the American Journal of Therapeutics publshed online Apr 2021 by Kory/Meduri/Varon/Iglesias/Marik. Conclusion:
“Meta-analyses based on 18 randomized controlled treatment trials of ivermectin in COVID-19 have found large, statistically significant reductions in mortality, time to clinical recovery, and time to viral clearance. Furthermore, results from numerous controlled prophylaxis trials report significantly reduced risks of contracting COVID-19 with the regular use of ivermectin. Finally, the many examples of ivermectin distribution campaigns leading to rapid population-wide decreases in morbidity and mortality indicate that an oral agent effective in all phases of COVID-19 has been identified.”
Maybe even worse is that in March 2021 clinical research in Canada for the Israeli firm Enovid showed a nitric oxide based nasal spray killed 99.9% of Covid viruses. You can buy it online but apparently no US source certainly no retail. It’s $45.
I have never seen anything about either of these facts on any US “news”. But if you look for the Therapeutics paper you will find similar research from NIH on PubMed. But a proposed ivermectin trial in Britain was just suspended due to “supply issues”. They did talk about this on one of the Fox news shows. Lack of supply of a cheap generic?!
Several days ago my seven-year-old daughter tested positive for COVID-19, she had very mild symptoms slightly runny nose mild temp and occasional cough. I have a very sore throat with occasional throat mucous cough, but other than that essentially no symptoms. I have tested negative twice with a rapid test, awaiting my PCR results. I was taking, vitamin D, quercetin 1000 mg, airborne immune defense, a really good multivitamin, probiotics, I’ve since added ivermectin and black cumin seed oil, and I am doing nasal wash with iodine solution. I am on day four of my symptoms. I spoke to my doctor today and she said that by now she would expect I should be feeling pretty lousy. I don’t accept that my throat is on fire. I am praying that my protocol sees me through.
Zinc is very important.
The zinc gluconate lozenges that came out as Cold Eeze and have since been copycatted by all the major retail chains work to shorten and in some cases (if you take them soon enough) nip the cold in the bud so it does not get established. I did this successfully earlier this year using an OTC product called Vicks First Defense, there are others you will find if you search for it.
Years ago I found a claimed “quick fix” remedy on a teacher’s helper web site, a capful of peroxide in each ear for 5 minutes–the premise being it gets at the site where the virus is replicating. Repeated use of peroxide may not be advisable but this trick has helped me in the past. I know people who have used diluted peroxide as a nasal drop but I have never tried it; some insist you must obtain “food grade” that is pretty expensive and not easy to find at retail. You can order online though.
This is a true article. When I had covid March 2020 I had difficulty breathing. My wife thinking I had an allergy gave me allergy relief pills from walmart. My breathing got better I no longer was suffocating. I tell everyone if you get covid take allergy relief pills. Way before this report came out. I KNOW from experience.
The WHO, CDC and GATES do not want over the counter cures or heard immunity. They want death and hysterical fear so they can continue Vaccine sales.
The U.S. “for profit” health care system (developed over the past century plus under both Democratic and Republican administrations) isn’t there to make the U.S. population healthy – it’s there to make a lot of money for a handful of people. It’s the most expensive health care system in the world (by 5% of national GDP annually). Its certainly not “cost effective” and its far from the most “outcomes effective” health system in the world.
In the U.S. the cost of any already existing, cheap, over-the-counter drug that proves to be effective in stopping Covid19 in its tracks will have its prive raised by thousands of percentage points by the drug companies, despite the fact that the so called “research costs” have already been covered and written off long ago. The drug companies have done this over and over again when a cheap drug is discovered to be very effective for an “alternative purpose”. And in the U.S. the drugs will likely disappear from drugstore shelves because there is so much money to be made from the Covid1p vaccines.
It’s also government policy to give people EBT benefits to spend on candy and junk food but you can’t spend it on vitamins. Nearly half the adult population is classified as obese, (it was only 12% in 1961) and diabetes is becoming endemic in some communities (“the minorities are most seriously affected”–oh except the Asians..). How often do they admit obesity is the #1 co-morbitiy for Covid? As often as they tell you diabetes is the #1 risk factor for the heart disease that is the #1 cause of death!
Interesting. I take Vitamin C and D, Echinacea and Zinc every day. I have noticed that since I started taking these if I get a scratchy throat, instead of developing a throat and maybe ear infection in a day or so it just goes away. ALL my life if I got a scratchy throat, a sore throat followed and it took a week or two to get rid of it. Funny how doctors NEVER say anything about boosting your immune system.
How many millions have they killed?
I don’t believe SARSCoV2 is a’ natural’ occurrence. Fauci has been after a ‘gain of function’ success for more than a decade, at least as far back as Bush’s presidency. Shi Zhengli presented a paper to NATURE in 2015 in which all aspects of the creation of this virus was explained,. The backbone of this virus is from TWO very virulent bat strains, then molecules were added to the spike protein to enhance the virus and to enable human to human contagion. (The only animals infected with this virus are the deliberately infected ones in the Wuhan Lab.). The paper even discussed the devastation caused by the virus in humanized mice. The blood clots, the heart and lung Inflammation, and damage to all the organs. I found the paper online in late Feb or early March 2020, not sure exactly when it disappeared from access completely, I contacted NATURE to see if I could get a copy from their archives, and was told the paper had been completely withdrawn, (disappeared) by the author . Find and read THAT research paper and you will find the truth. I think other papers were supposedly published in 2015 and being passed off as the one in question.
I’m convinced twice daily gargling with Listerine Original kills the virus cold. No proof but many anecdotal experiences by friends and colleagues swear by it.
Hello! HELLO!!!!!!
https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/harvard-university-professor-convicted-making-false-statements-and-tax-offenses
Israeli studies show that Kefir (naturally fermented milk) significantly inhibits the growth of SARS-CoV-2. Kefir contains lactoferrin as well as “good” bacteria to encourage intestinal flora health.
Just an FYI to those who would like to try the natural route to build/maintain general immunity that also helps against the current “virus of concern”.
diphenhydramine(antihistamine) in Benadryl, and lactoferrin(found in cow and human milk) are the 2 that helps.
This story reports on a paper peer-reviewed and published in ‘Pathogens’. The science looks fundamentally sound and involves a time-proven OTC combination which many people will feel safe utilizing. Diphenhydramine is an anti-histamine as well, its antiinflammatory properties used extensively in ICUs when coronavirus infections become symptomatic and serious.
Isnt that exactly what Ivermectin n Hydroxychloriquine do?
uhgf