New York, Mar 27 (IANS): In the sea of drugs currently being explored to treat COVID-19, researches at University of Colorado and MIT have proposed a drug that is derived from a protein called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and is commonly used to treat stroke and heart attack.

A couple of hospitals in Colorado and Massachusetts are planning to check effectiveness of this drug that treats blood clotting disorders in severe patients of COVID-19, reports Spark Health MD website.

The study, published in the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, suggested that the drug could help treat patients on the verge of respiratory faliure, especially in scenarios when ventilators are not available.

"Michael Yaffe and David H. Koch from MIT suggested that if this drug work then it should be scaled up as early as possible because every pharmacy in the hospital has it. Researchers don't need to make a new drug and are trying to repurpose it," said the report.

A natural protein, tPA converts plasminogen to plasmin (an enzyme that dissolves clots) and often given in large amounts to stroke victims and heart attack patients to break down clots.

Researchers wrote that tPA may help Covid-19 patients in severe respiratory failure.

MIT and Colorado research group have studied the abnormal bleeding and inflammation in the lungs due to traumatic injuries.

Researchers found that inflammation linked tissue damage occurs in Covid-19 patients and may lead to clot formation.