PandemicPreparedness

Empagliflozin, a routine treatment for type 2 diabetes will be investigated in the Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY (RECOVERY) trial as a possible treatment for COVID-19. The RECOVERY Trial is a large clinical trial of treatments for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. It is being conducted in in 185 hospitals in the UK, Nepal and Indonesia and with over 41,000 patients recruited so far.

The mechanism by which Empagliflozin reduces the amount of glucose absorbed by the blood and helps its excretion in the urine is thought to stabilise several metabolic pathways that get disrupted during viral infection, reduce inflammation, improve heart and blood vessel function, and increase blood oxygen transport. These actions may protect against organ damage and improve the chance of recovery for patients with COVID-19. The drug is easily available and is relatively cheap.

The other treatments currently being investigated in the RECOVERY trial are:

• baricitinib (an immunomodulatory drug used in rheumatoid arthritis)
• dimethyl fumarate (an immunomodulatory drug used in psoriasis and multiple sclerosis)
• high-dose vs standard corticosteroids