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Medicine 2021-06-10 1 min read

Common diabetes drug shows promise as treatment for COVID-19 lung inflammation

The blood sugar-lowering drug metformin prevented pulmonary inflammation, a major factor in COVID-19 severity and mortality, in studies of mice infected by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus
Published 2021-06-10 · Original archive entry · Explore research explainers
Common diabetes drug shows promise as treatment for COVID-19 lung inflammation
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Metformin is a widely prescribed blood sugar-lowering drug. It is often used as an early therapy (in combination with diet and lifestyle changes) for type 2 diabetes, which afflicts more than 34 million Americans.

Metformin works by lowering glucose production in the liver, reducing blood sugar levels that, in turn, improve the body's response to insulin. But scientists have also noted that metformin possesses anti-inflammatory properties, though the basis for this activity was not known.

In a study published online June 8, 2021 in the journal END
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