Torres del Paine National Park

Coronavirus and the Little Blue Pill...

Sildenafil would improve oxygenation in critically ill COVID-19 patients, thereby decreasing the requirements for mechanical ventilation.

Source: elpinguino.com  
Jesus Nieves
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Viagra could help in the treatment against Coronavirus
The drug was created primarily for angina pectoris and has two main uses today: erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension.


Luis Gonzalez, Pharmaceutical-Chemist of the Universidad de Magallanes, explained that Sildenafil, better known as Viagra, would favor a vasodilator effect at the pulmonary level, inducing a better oxygenation of the patient. 

The search for a drug that can improve treatment in a patient diagnosed with Covid-19 continues. Now, the Hospital Naval Almirante Nef in Viña del Mar, Chile, has started an investigation with the drug Sildenafil or Viagra, which seeks to prevent infected people from requiring mechanical ventilation.

For now, these are clinical trials, and it is necessary to make clear that the drug does not kill the virus, but it would improve the management of patients. 

In a first stage, 40 patients will be recruited, 20 will be given a placebo drug without effect, and the other 20, Sildenafil for a period of 7 days. 

The Pharmaceutical-Chemist of the Universidad de Magallanes, Luis González, explained that the drug is used for patients who, due to their pulmonary risk profile and the presentation of the disease, have a high probability of falling into a critical condition.


"One of the main concerns with this disease is that lung function in patients goes declining more and more, because an inflammatory process is generated affecting the respiratory tract and causing patients to end up requiring mechanical ventilation", said González.

The also academic from the same educational center, said that the drug was created mainly for angina pectoris and today it is recognized for two main uses: erectile dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension.

Sildenafil could be used to fight effects of Covid-19.
                                                                                                                         
“The findings made at the Hospital Naval de Viña del Mar indicate that there were foci that demonstrated that there was a great vasoconstriction at the pulmonary level. What they are proposing is that when using this drug, a vasodilator effect will be generated, thus causing an improvement in the patient's ventilation, therefore, they would see their respiratory function improved or at least it should not be seriously complicated, they should not require forced or invasive ventilation mechanisms”, added González.

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