We previously suggested we already have many drugs on the market that could help covid-19 patients. Zithromax reduces inflammation and aids in preventing cytokine storms in influenza and covid-19 (3/30/20 post). Numerous anti-parasitics are available, including imervectin, which was shown in the laboratory to stop replication of covid-19, but not yet tested in clinical trials (4/5/20 post). Viral RNA is a string of dead proteins, that use energy from the host cell to replicate—viruses are intracellular parasites that cannot live without a host cell. Treating host pathogens can deprive the virus of the energy needed to replicate; however, underlying host pathogens may differ between patients. Now another antibiotic has been suggested for covid-19 patients, a drug which has been found beneficial in many chronic diseases.
Doxycyline treats many forms of chlamydia, including chlamydia pneumonia, chlamydia trachoma, and chlamydia psittacosis. Doxycyline may be particularly beneficial in patients infected with the L-strain of covid-19, because the L-strain likely evolved in Italy, through intracellular reassortment of RNA in combination with intracellular psittacosis (5/6/20 post). Doxycyline or azithromax may help cardiac patients, because most cardiac patients have chronic chlamydia penumonia. Doxycyline and azithromax are available, at a low cost, in both oral tablets and IV, and have a long history of safety. (Doxycycline should not be used in pregnant women, and zithromax is used to treat psittacosis in pregnancy.)
These drugs could potentially prevent severe cases of covid-19 if given earlier in the course of the disease, alone, or in combination with anti-parasitics and/or antiviral drugs. If doxycycline or any other currently available drugs are shown effective in reducing morbidity and mortality in covid-19, and are used early in the course of the disease, knowledge that we have an effective treatment would significantly reduce the stress in the population about getting covid-19.
https://accpjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/phar.2395
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