Covid-19 antiviral drug thapsigargin excites researchers in early tests with ‘one of a kind’ results

A researcher at a British university believes he may have found a unique new antiviral drug that can stop the cause of Covid-19, could be made into a pill, tackles respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza, and crucially would not encourage drug resistance. Prof Kin-Chow Chang of Nottingham University told i that early lab results for the antiviral, thapsigargin, have been so promising in the way it arms the body against the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus that they almost appear “too good to be true” – showing it is “one of a kind”. Prof Chang emphasises that his team’s research, using cells and mice, is still at a preliminary stage. But further trials on animals are expected next year and his confidence is growing.