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Does Losartan block the receptor used by the Coronavirus?

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on March 20, 2025.

Official Answer by Drugs.com

Losartan (Cozaar) belongs to a class of medicines called Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs), also known as Angiotensin II receptor antagonists.

Losartan work by blocking the action of a natural chemical called angiotensin II. ARBs prevent angiotensin II from binding to type 1 angiotensin 2 receptors (AT1) located in the heart, blood vessels, kidney, adrenal cortex, lung, and brain. Losartan, therefore, works on the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) which is a hormonal system that regulates blood pressure.

Losartan is not a receptor, but it does block a chemical (angiotensin II) from binding to a receptor (AT1), which lowers blood pressure.

Losartan has attracted interest from the medical community because losartan was used in some preclinical studies to determine its effectiveness against the SARS virus that first appeared in 2002. SARS was also a coronavirus and is like SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

The research was based on the theory that inhibition of an overactive RAS might increase the risk of pulmonary complications from viral infections. Studies that were conducted include:

We do not know whether the supposed benefits of ARBs during an episode of infection with SARS-CoV-2 outweigh the potential harms.

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