Virus Outbreak: Locally grown tea may have treatment key, study saysStaff writer, with CNAResearchers have identified an antioxidant in locally grown black tea leaves as a potential inhibitor of protease activity in SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, Chiayi Chang Gung Memorial Hospital said on Wednesday. Photo copied by Lin I-chang, Taipei TimesIn coronaviruses, RdRp catalyzes the replication of RNA from a template, making it an attractive candidate to help develop a treatment, Wu said. RdRp in SARS-CoV-2 is also a primary target for the antiviral remdesivir, which the WHO has called the most promising drug available for the treatment of COVID-19, he said. However, the exact in vivo effect is still unclear, and further research is needed to confirm the mechanism whereby theaflavin targets SARS-CoV-2, Wu said. If the treatment were proved to be viable, the government’s first priority would be to guarantee domestic supply, Chen said.

Source: Taipei Times March 27, 2020 15:56 UTC