Camostat
Camostat is a serine protease inhibitor. Serine protease enzymes have a variety of functions in the body, and so camostat has a diverse range of uses. Camostat is approved in Japan for the treatment of chronic pancreatitis and postoperative reflux esophagitis. The manufacturer is Ono Pharmaceutical. The drug is used in the treatment of some forms of cancer and is also effective against some viral infections, as well as inhibiting fibrosis in liver or kidney disease or pancreatitis.Pharmacology
It is an inhibitor of the enzyme transmembrane protease, serine 2. Inhibition of TMPRSS2 partially blocked infection by SARS-CoV and Human coronavirus NL63 in HeLa cell cultures.
Another in vitro study showed that camostat significantly reduces the infection of Calu-3 lung cells by SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. It is currently in Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials.
For chronic pancreatitis camostat's typical dose is 600 mg daily, for postoperative reflux esophagitis 300 mg are taken. The daily dose is split in 3 doses and taken after each meal.
