LONDON: Researchers from Britain’s Nottingham University believe that an experimental cancer drug taken from a poisonous plant could halt COVID-19.
Thapsigargin is being touted as an alternative remedy to COVID-19 and other viruses, such as the common cold and seasonal flu.
The drug is extracted from the “deadly carrot” thapsia plant, which kills cattle in the western Mediterranean.
It is currently being trialled against prostate cancer. It is expected that humans will be able to take the drug in pill form if it is proven to work.
Thapsigargin tackles viruses by sparking a range of host cellular responses rather than targeting the virus directly.
The drug could improve the capacity of cells to fight off invading viruses by using the immune system’s natural ability.
Prof. Kin-Chow Chang, one of the lead researchers at Nottingham University, said more testing is “clearly needed” as no evidence exists that it will work on humans, but “findings strongly indicate thapsigargin and its derivatives are promising antiviral treatments against COVID-19 and influenza.”
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