Iranian Researchers Propose New Drug to Control Symptoms of Coronavirus Disease

“In this thesis, we specifically focused on the Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) and the prediction of alternative drugs for its treatment. The reason for this is to help in the drug selection process for doctors when other epidemics occur in the future,” said Zahra Qorbanali, a graduate of Amirkabir University of Technology and the project manager.

“For this purpose, our proposed model was able to suggest suitable drugs whose validity has been proven through other studies and articles,” she added.

“One of the most recent findings of these studies is the use of gliptin drugs, which are used to control diabetes, but have the potential to be an alternative to treat and reduce the symptoms of covid-19,” Qorbanali said.

DPP-4 inhibitors, known as gliptins, are a class of oral diabetic medications approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults.

DPP-4 inhibitors that have FDA approval include sitagliptin, saxagliptin, linagliptin, and alogliptin.

DDP-4 inhibitors are a treatment to lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.

They can be used on their own if metformin isn’t suitable, or with other diabetes medications. 

DDP-4 inhibitors work by blocking the action of the enzyme DPP-4, which destroys incretins – hormones - that the body makes. 

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