COVID-19: Famotidine, Histamine, Mast Cells, and Mechanisms.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 infection is required for COVID-19, but many signs and symptoms of COVID-19 differ from common acute viral diseases. Currently, there are no pre- or post-exposure prophylactic COVID-19 medical countermeasures. Clinical data suggest that famotidine may mitigate COVID-19 disease, but both mechanism of action and rationale for dose selection remain obscure. We explore several plausible avenues of activity including antiviral and host-mediated actions. We propose that the principal famotidine mechanism of action for COVID-19 involves on-target histamine receptor H2 activity, and that development of clinical COVID-19 involves dysfunctional mast cell activation and histamine release.

• Authors: Robert W Malone, Philip Tisdall, Philip Fremont-Smith, Yongfeng Liu, Xi-Ping Huang, Kris M White, Lisa Miorin, Elena Moreno Del Olmo, Assaf Alon, Elise Delaforge, Christopher D Hennecker, Guanyu Wang, Joshua Pottel, Nora Smith, Julie M Hall, Gideon Shapiro, Anthony Mittermaier, Andrew C Kruse, Adolfo García-Sastre, Bryan L Roth, Jill Glasspool-Malone, Darrell O Ricke
• Journal: Research square (Res Sq) (Aug 31 2020) United States
• PMID: 32702719 (Publication Type: Preprint)