The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has approved a drug named RLF-100 or Aviptadil, which was developed in the 1970s, to treat coronavirus patients, Moneycontrol has reported.

The report suggests that the drug helps in containing the multiplication of the coronavirus in the lungs of the infected person.

Aviptadil is an old injectable formulation of the vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP), which is secreted by cells throughout the intestinal tract. It stimulates the secretion of electrolytes and water by the intestinal mucosa, according to the description by the National Library of Medicine.

VIP helps in improving muscle activity and blood flow in the gut. VIP also has anti-inflammatory and anti-cytokine properties, which can help mitigate respiratory symptoms in coronavirus positive patients.

This drug has shown dramatic recovery in Covid-19 patients by administering oxygen exchange in the lungs.

SARS-CoV-2 targets the lungs and causes respiratory ailments. This is also one of the initial symptoms of the infection.

Houston Methodist Hospital was the first to use the drug and reported a recovery in a critically ill Covid-19 patient. Aviptadil is mainly used to treat erectile dysfunction in men.

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