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Cited by 802

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 33 of the 33 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Angiotensin receptor blockers as tentative SARS‐CoV‐2 therapeutics

Open access
Gurwitz, David·2020·Drug Development Research

Abstract

At the time of writing this commentary (February 2020), the coronavirus COVID‐19 epidemic has already resulted in more fatalities compared with the SARS and MERS coronavirus epidemics combined. Therapeutics that may assist to contain its rapid spread and reduce its high mortality rates are urgently needed. Developing vaccines against the SARS‐CoV‐2 virus may take many months. Moreover, vaccines based on viral‐encoded peptides may not be effective against future coronavirus epidemics, as virus mutations could make them futile. Indeed, new Influenza virus strains emerge every year, requiring new immunizations. A tentative suggestion based on existing therapeutics, which would likely be resistant to new coronavirus mutations, is to use available angiotensin receptor 1 (AT1R) blockers, such as losartan, as therapeutics for reducing the aggressiveness and mortality from SARS‐CoV‐2 virus infections. This idea is based on observations that the angiotensin‐converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) very likely serves as the binding site for SARS‐CoV‐2, the strain implicated in the current COVID‐19 epidemic, similarly to strain SARS‐CoV implicated in the 2002–2003 SARS epidemic. This commentary elaborates on the idea of considering AT1R blockers as tentative treatment for SARS‐CoV‐2 infections, and proposes a research direction based on datamining of clinical patient records for assessing its feasibility.

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Metadata

Authors
Gurwitz, D.
Venue
Drug Development Research
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2020-03-04
Volume
81
Issue
5
Pages
537-540
ISSN
  • 0272-4391 (ISSN-L)
  • 1098-2299
OpenAlex
W3009723094
Cited by
802
References
33
FWCI
23.24
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
bronze

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Angiotensin receptor blockers as tentative SARS‐CoV‐2 therapeutics. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1002/ddr.21656
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Gurwitz, D. (2020). Angiotensin receptor blockers as tentative SARS‐CoV‐2 therapeutics. Drug Development Research. https://doi.org/10.1002/ddr.21656

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