A 'dirt cheap' diabetes medication could be the answer to effectively treating coronavirus, researchers believe. Metformin, sold as Glucophage, costs around 3p a pill, with some doctors in China's Wuhan, where the pandemic started, hailing it a 'wonder drug' after studies show it reduces the body's inflammatory response.
Inflammation is one of the key causes of death for those with the killer bug, with the drug, given to type 2 diabetics since the 1950s, potentially crucial while a vaccine is developed.
Earlier this month, Wuhan experts revealed the death rate among virus patients taking the medication for diabetes was far lower than those not.