France to test nicotine on human for Covid-19 treatment

French researchers are preparing to launch a human trial to test whether nicotine can help the body to combat coronavirus.

Scientists have hypothesised that the chemical, which is contained in cigarettes, could influence whether or not coronavirus molecules are able to attach themselves to receptors in the body, independent.co reports.

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The trial will involve groups of healthcare workers and patients, some wearing nicotine patches and others wearing placebo patches, who will be tested to see if there is a difference in how their bodies respond to Covid-19.

It follows a French study of public health data which appeared to show that smokers were 80 per cent less likely to catch the coronavirus than non-smokers of the same age and sex.

Explaining the hypothesis, Jean-Pierre Changeux, emeritus professor of neuroscience at France’s Pasteur Institute, said: “You have the virus which arrives on the receptor, and the nicotine blocks that, and they separate.”