This letter to the editor examines the effectiveness of fenofibrate for treating COVID-19.
COVID-19 does not have a specific treatment. The majority of current therapies are aimed at blocking infection and/or viral replication.
Fenofibrate has multiple properties, including anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities and it reduces the formation of new blood vessels which occurs during inflammation.
Fenofibrate is effective at lowering fibrinogen levels, a protein involved in blood clotting; abnormal levels of blood clotting are observed in severe COVID-19 patients.
As an anti-inflammatory, fenofibrate may also be a very useful medication for treating severe COVID-19 patients who are experiencing a “cytokine storm”. Furthermore, it has anti-inflammatory effects which are superior to statin drugs in elderly adults.
Fenofibrate also helps to reverse the adverse effects of COVID-19 on human body organs.
The author recommends that clinical trials which include elderly persons who have moderate to severe COVID-19 and no end-organ damage test fenofibrate as a drug to add to chloroquine/hydroxychloroquine treatment.
