Doctors at Jharkhand’s premiere healthcare facility, the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), will soon begin a trial to study the life-saving effects of lipid-lowering drugs on patients suffering from severe symptoms of Covid-19 as a part of a research, health experts monitoring the Covid ward of the hospital said on Monday.

Dr. Prabhat Kumar, the coordinator of the Covid-19 task force at RIMS, said the research was approved earlier by the hospital administration, but the trial could not start as the number of patients dropped significantly soon after the RIMS administration’s nod to begin the research work.

“It has been seen that drugs used for lowering cholesterol in patients reduce the virulence of the virus, which not only reduces the symptoms but also lowers the chances of transmission from the patient to another healthy individual,” said Dr. Kumar, who will be heading the research.

During the trial, doctors at RIMS will be primarily using Atorva, a kind of lipid-lowering drug, which is administered to prevent heart attacks and treat patients who have survived heart attacks, said Dr. Kumar.

“The trial would begin once RIMS has sufficient patients of Covid-19 to conduct the research. We are hoping that the number of patients does not rise, but if at all there is a rise in cases, this research may help us save many lives,” he added.

Some foreign researchers found that administering Statins, a type of lipid-lowering drug, reduced the chances of mortality in Covid patients, especially those suffering from severe symptoms. Such drugs are usually administered to people suffering from cardiovascular diseases or those patients who are at a high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases due to various conditions including obesity.

A study by researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine found that lipid-lowering drugs were anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic, which helped in reducing symptoms in Covid patients. The researchers also found that patients on regular dosage of lipid-lowering drugs due to history of illnesses had lower chances of in-hospital deaths.

As per government data, more than half of the 5,131 Covid casualties in Jharkhand were reported among senior citizens, most of whom already suffered from comorbid conditions and diseases. Doctors say that administering lipid-lowering drugs might also help patients with severe comorbid conditions overcome a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

RIMS, which treated patients from across Jharkhand and neighbouring states during the Covid-19 pandemic, is also a part of an international research on the effects of coronavirus on the nervous system and brain of individuals. This research will also involve experts from European countries and the U.S.