Frontiers in Medicine (Nov 2023)

Repurposing of Rutan showed effective treatment for COVID-19 disease

  • Shavkat I. Salikhov,
  • Ibrokhim Y. Abdurakhmonov,
  • Yuliya I. Oshchepkova,
  • Jamolitdin F. Ziyavitdinov,
  • Nodir Sh. Berdiev,
  • Haji Akber Aisa,
  • Jingshan Shen,
  • Yechun Xu,
  • H. Eric Xu,
  • Xiangrui Jiang,
  • Leike Zhang,
  • Natalia L. Vypova,
  • Dilshod Sh. Allaberganov,
  • Nigora A. Tagayalieva,
  • Erkin I. Musabaev,
  • Gulnara A. Ibadova,
  • Ilxom B. Rajabov,
  • Lyubov M. Lokteva

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2023.1310129
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10

Abstract

Read online

Previously, from the tannic sumac plant (Rhus coriaria), we developed the Rutan 25 mg oral drug tablets with antiviral activity against influenza A and B viruses, adenoviruses, paramyxoviruses, herpes virus, and cytomegalovirus. Here, our re-purposing study demonstrated that Rutan at 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg provided a very effective and safe treatment for COVID-19 infection, simultaneously inhibiting two vital enzyme systems of the SARS-CoV-2 virus: 3C-like proteinase (3CLpro) and RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). There was no drug accumulation in experimental animals’ organs and tissues. A clinical study demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in the C-reactive protein and a reduction of the viremia period. In patients receiving Rutan 25 mg (children) and 100 mg (adults), the frequency of post-COVID-19 manifestations was significantly less than in the control groups not treated with Rutan tablets. Rutan, having antiviral activity, can provide safe treatment and prevention of COVID-19 in adults and children.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov, ID NCT05862883.

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