Coronavirus: Teicoplanin Is 10-20 Times More Effective In Treating COVID-19 Than HCQ

According to research conducted by scientists at the Kusuma School of Biological Sciences (KSBS) at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, Teicoplanin, an antibiotic, may be a potential alternative for treating coronavirus disease patients.

Teicoplanin belongs to the 'glycopeptide' class of antibiotics, which destroys bacteria by preventing them from forming the defensive bacterial wall required for them to survive.

The drug given as an injection, is used mainly for the treatment of bacterial infections of the skin and soft tissues, blood, heart, bones and lungs, including pneumonia.

Ashok Patel, Professor at IIT Delhi who led the research was also assisted by Dr Pradeep Sharma from AIIMS. The research has also been published in the International Journal of Biological Macromolecules.

The study found that "Teicoplanin is around 10-20 times more effective in inhibiting protease activity than other drugs in use, such as lopinavir, hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine, azithromycin, atazanavir, etc."

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), chloroquine, nitazoxanide, oseltamivir, amoxicillin, famciclovir, aciclovir, lopinavir, atazanavir, and azithromycin have been examined in the study titled 'Screening and evaluation of approved drugs as key protease inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2'. Teicoplanin has been found to be more potent than all the other drugs.

Patel said that, "Unlike HCQ, which is harmful for the heart, there aren’t any major side-effects of Teicoplanin." The drug works on "gram-positive" bacteria, which are known to build a 40-80 layer thick complex cell wall that makes it possible for any foreign material such as SARS-COV-2 virus to be absorbed. Teicoplanin acts by stopping the cell wall formation process.

India's coronavirus tally crossed 63 lakh mark with a spike of 86,821 fresh cases and 1,181 deaths reported in last 24 hours. Total case tally stands at 63,12,585 including 9,40,705 active cases. While the number of recoveries increased to 52,73,202. The death toll is at 98,678.