Biotech Values

[DewDiligence]

There’s a mechanistic hypothesis for why hypertension patients taking ACE/ARB drugs may have worse COVID-19 outcomes:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41569-020-0360-5?fbclid=IwAR3HoFrfs6ePbGvNFTex6jz3dc0yA7Xfw3uwzwKcCLDmZn9nIYjejAuCM88

Given that ACE2 is a functional receptor for SARS-CoV-2, the safety and potential effects of antihypertension therapy with ACE inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers in patients with COVID-19 should be carefully considered. Whether patients with COVID-19 and hypertension who are taking an ACE inhibitor or angiotensin-receptor blocker should switch to another antihypertensive drug remains controversial, and further evidence is required.

The biology is not well understood, however. Intuitively, one might think than an ARB (as opposed to an ACE) would offer some protection against the virus' entry to host cells.