Danish drugmaker studies diabetes and obesity drugs for treating Covid-19
By Caoimhe Toman
Date: Friday 04 Sep 2020
(Sharecast News) - Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk is investigating whether a new class of medicines that are intended for weight loss and diabetes could prove effective in treating Covid-19.
According to a report from Bloomberg, research shows people afflicted by obesity and diabetes often struggle to overcome SARS-CoV-2. Scientists working at Novo Nordisk pointed out that the virus attacks cells that produce the hormone insulin.
Therefore, the treatment that helps patients keep blood sugar levels in check, could also be a "very meaningful therapy" in helping people with diabetes battle Covid-19, Novo Nordisk Chief Scientific Officer, Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, said in an interview.
"The early indication is that the GLP-1 class is actually beneficial in Covid-19," he said. "That's not unexpected because this is the class of agents that target the risk factors for bad Covid-19 outcomes," he said.
Novo is carrying out further studies but they have confirmed that there's no clinical evidence that GLP-1 drugs have an antiviral effect on Covid-19 but could help people suffering from other illnesses combat the new disease.
"Obesity, hypertension and diabetes are big risk factors for bad outcomes," according to Thomsen. "But it is also so that the virus puts further stress on your cardiometabolic condition."
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