Study reveals effectiveness of Losartan against Covid-19

Pablo Altieri, professor at the Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean of the Medical Sciences Campus (RCM) of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR), the person who directs the study on the island, told Efe this Friday that the effectiveness of the Losartan to combat covid-19 has been tested in at least 70 patients in the Caribbean territory.

Altieri explained that drugs such as Losartan and Enalapril, which are used to treat hypertension and cardiovascular problems, are currently being applied successfully as a treatment for covid-19 on the island.

He said that the use of these two drugs is especially common in intensive care units.

“Losartan, when it comes into contact with the cells, prevents them from being damaged by the covid-19 virus,” said the Puerto Rican doctor, adding that this process has already been verified in about 70 people, which has been collected in a study that is expected to be published shortly.

“It was verified that patients who were subjected to treatment with Losartan were less affected by covid-19,” the specialist highlighted.

The process was verified by verifying that patients who suffered from diseases related to hypertension and cardiovascular disease and were therefore treated with Losartan reacted, once they were infected with the coronavirus, much better than other patients who only suffered from covid-19 and that, therefore, they were not treated with this drug, which has been used for decades.

Altieri explained that human cells have “indentations”, which he defined as entrances that the virus takes advantage of to penetrate and kill them.

However, Losartan got into these “indentations” and occupies a space in a way that prevents the virus from entering the cells.

He argued that, without a doubt, it is a discovery that can help combat the coronavirus in Puerto Rico and anywhere else in the world.

Altieri explained that the director of the RCM’s Department of Physiology, Nelson Escobales, and Dr. María Crespo, from the same medical center, are some of the doctors who already use Losartan and other similar drugs to combat covid-19.

Altieri, professor of medicine and physiology at the RCM School of Medicine, indicated that these drugs lodge in the receptors of human cells and prevent their penetration by producing a blockage.

“In my practice I have not seen patients who are using Losartan and have acquired the disease -coronavirus- in a severe degree. For this reason, we may see more young patients acquiring the virus. They are not using Losartan because they are too young to be hypertensive and its use is not indicated “, explained the doctor.

The researcher pointed out that the study is progressing thanks to the database of the Cardiovascular Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean.

The dean of the RCM School of Medicine, Agustín Rodríguez, stressed that he will be attentive to the contribution of Dr. Altieri and his group, since the findings that they manage to contribute to the treatment of the disease will be useful to combat the virus in Puerto Rico , where since the pandemic began, a total of 758 deaths have been registered.

In addition, the coronavirus has left 28,174 confirmed cases, out of a total population on the island of 3.2 million inhabitants.

The island’s Health Department reported this Friday that 196 new confirmed cases and 117 additional probable cases were registered.

The governor of Puerto Rico, Wanda Vázquez, announced today a new executive order in the face of the pandemic that allows, among other measures, a higher percentage of occupation in restaurants and other social spaces. EFE