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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

Is there increasing evidence that the key ingredient in Pepcid could be an effective COVID-19 treatment?

By Allegra Taylor
YES

Continuing studies of famotidine—an antihistimine, and the active ingredient in the heartburn-relief drug Pepcid—have yielded more signs the drug could help treat COVID-19.

The studies, while not conclusive, follow preliminary encouraging findings in May. A recent study at a Connecticut hospital found COVID-19 patients who took Pepcid were 45% less likely to die and 48% less likely to need a ventilator than those who were not treated with the medication.

In another study, researchers administered famotidine and the allergy medication cetirizine to 110 COVID-19 patients with severe pulmonary symptoms. The combination of the two drugs resulted in “reductions in inpatient mortality and symptom progression."

A third study found non-hospitalized coronavirus patients who took famotidine reported noticeable improvements within 24 hours of starting the drug.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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