Study on efficacy of Mycophenolate in treatment of Covid-19 by a team of city based doctors published in 'The Lancet - Regional Health - Southeast Asia'

-  The research study was conducted at the Sahyadri Speciality Hospital, Deccan 

PUNE, India, March 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A research study of efficacy of Mycophenolate in the treatment of Covid-19 by a team of doctors at Sahyadri Hospitals Deccan Unit was published in 'The Lancet – Regional Health – Southeast Asia'. The study was conducted by a team of doctors including Dr Atul Sajgure – Principal Investigator, Dr Ajit Kulkarni, Dr Atul Joshi, Dr Vasanti Sajgure, Dr Vaishali Pathak, Dr Shilpa Pathak, Dr Rashida Melinkeri, Dr Manoj Naik, Dr Sumit Agrawal, Dr Milind Rajurkar, Ameya Sajgure and Dr Girish Date. The study team received valuable guidance from Dr Deepa Divekar. The study was registered with 'The Clinical Trials Registry of India – CTRI' (ICMR) and was approved by the ethics committee of Sahyadri Speciality Hospital.

212 patients requiring hospitalization for Covid-19 infection were enrolled in the study. Out of them, 106 patients consented to receive the drug Mycophenolate along with standard treatment, while 106 patients who refused to take the drug were considered as controls. Enrolled patients had varying degrees of disease severity with lung involvement ranging from 10% to 90%. The results of the study were very encouraging. The death rate due to Covid-19 infection in patients who received Mycophenolate was significantly less compared to those who did not receive the drug. Also, patients who received Mycophenolate recovered faster from Covid-19 infection and could be discharged from the hospital earlier resulting in a shorter duration of hospital stay. No post Covid lung fibrosis effects were observed. No side effects of Mycophenolate were noted in the study.

The study team concluded that the drug Mycophenolate was effective in the treatment of Covid-19 infection. The drug was safe and was well tolerated by the patients.

Mycophenolate has unique mechanism of action by which it suppresses the multiplication of the virus and reduces the reaction of cytokine storm resulting in better and faster recovery from Covid-19 infection. The drug will be effective against various strains of Covid-19 virus and also against many other viruses. The drug is also relatively inexpensive and easily available in the market.

Mycophenolate is a drug that is used to suppress immunity in certain autoimmune diseases and to prevent rejection after kidney transplantation. It was earlier observed by Dr Atul and Dr Vasanti Sajgure that during the first wave of Covid-19 pandemic, patients who were already taking Mycophenolate for other conditions recovered faster from the Covid-19 infection. These observations were published in a medical journal.

Dr Atul Sajgure said "These observations prompted us to do this larger and the first prospective study in the world to assess the efficacy of Mycophenolate in patients requiring hospitalization because of Covid-19 infection." The Lancet has said in their email of acceptance that "Given the public interest potential and the public relevance of the work, we recommend contacting your institute to issue a press release." 

Please click here to access the article online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2023.100154

About Sahyadri Hospitals:

Sahyadri Hospitals is the largest chain of hospitals in Maharashtra with 8 hospitals across three cities of Pune, Nashik and Karad. The hospital chain has over 900 Beds and 200 ICU beds, 2000 Clinicians and 2600 Supporting Staff providing round the clock healthcare. Sahyadri Hospitals has touched the lives of more than 50 lakh people by providing quality care.

To know more: http://sahyadrihospital.com/

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