• Anja Brennecke, Laura Villar, Zhiyu Wang, Lisa M Doyle, Autumn Meek, Mark Reed, Christopher Barden, and Donald F Weaver.
• Krembil Research Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• Am. J. Med. Sci. 2020 Sep 1; 360 (3): 216-221.

AbstractThe potentially lethal infection caused by the novel Severe Acute Respiratory Disease Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved into a global crisis. Following the initial viral infection is the host inflammatory response that frequently results in excessive secretion of inflammatory cytokines (e.g., IL-6 and TNFα), developing into a self-targeting, toxic "cytokine storm" causing critical pulmonary tissue damage. The need for a therapeutic that is available immediately is growing daily but the de novo development of a vaccine may take years. Therefore, repurposing of approved drugs offers a promising approach to address this urgent need. Inhaled furosemide, a small molecule capable of inhibiting IL-6 and TNFα, may be an agent capable of treating the Coronavirus Disease 2019 cytokine storm in both resource-rich and developing countries. Furosemide is a "repurpose-able" small molecule therapeutics, that is safe, easily synthesized, handled, and stored, and is available in reasonable quantities worldwide.Copyright © 2020 Southern Society for Clinical Investigation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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