Efficacy of Covexir® (Ferula foetida oleo‐gum) treatment in symptomatic improvement of patients with mild to moderate COVID‐19: A randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial
Authors
Maede Hasanpour
Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Hossein Safari
Hasheminezhad Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Amir Mohammadpour
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Milad Iranshahy
Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Mohammad Nayyeri
Hasheminezhad Hospital, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Faegheh Farhadi
Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Bahareh Emami
Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Mehrdad Iranshahi
Biotechnology Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
The SARS‐CoV‐2 COVID‐19 pandemic has emerged as an unprecedented emergency state in healthcare system and global challenge. In recent decade, the function of exogenous H2S in the treatment of respiratory diseases has been investigated using H2S‐donor agents. Ferula foetida is a medicinal plant that is traditionally used in respiratory diseases including asthma and viral respiratory diseases. The oleo‐gum of this plant is a rich source of several organic sulfides including thiophenes, disulfides and polysulfide derivatives, which can act as H2S‐donor agents. The purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of Covexir® (F. foetida oleo‐gum) treatment as a rich source of H2S‐donor compounds in clinical presentations of patients with COVID‐19. The efficacy of Covexir® was evaluated in a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled trial in outpatients with COVID‐19. Covexir® could significantly inhibit cough when compared to the placebo group (p < .01 and p < 001, respectively). Moreover, there was a significant difference (p < 001) between the two groups in dyspnea symptom at follow‐up interval of 7 day after receiving Covexir®. Furthermore, on days 3 and 7, statistically significant differences were observed in myalgia, anorexia, anosmia, and sense of taste severity between two groups. Our findings revealed that Covexir® was very safe in the treatment of COVID‐19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms and it can be recommended to improve clinical presentations of patients with COVID‐19 such as cough, shortness of breath, myalgia, anorexia, anosmia, and sense of taste.
Keywords: COVID‐19, Ferula foetida, H2S donors, medicinal plants, natural sulfur compounds
Author Biography
Faegheh Farhadi, Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Herbal and Traditional Medicines Research Center, Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Kerman, Iran
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