Can milk cure COVID-19? Not exactly, but a new treatment shows promise   

“Got milk? Cure COVID” was a meme that started circulating after one of our discoveries from the University of Florida went public. It playfully highlighted a major medical milestone: We had found a combination of two over-the-counter products that could inhibit 99 percent of SARS-CoV-2 replication in human lung cells, and one of them was milk-based.    

Surprisingly, we learned that, if you mix diphenhydramine (the antihistamine in Benadryl) with lactoferrin (a milk protein in dietary supplements), you get an effective COVID-19 treatment. We’re calling this Lactovid™, and the innovation is a result of my many years as a researcher of SARS coronaviruses and as a member of the Global Virus Network’s COVID-19 Taskforce.    

So, why is this discovery significant? For context, let’s examine what is happening with COVID-19 right now.  

Clearly, the disease is here to stay and mutating, and virus levels are rising to a point that is likely higher than reported. As families prepare to gather for Thanksgiving and Christmas, a new wave of variants will very likely be unwelcome guests.   

The strength of existing COVID-19 strategies is decreasing as more variants emerge. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved updated versions of vaccines for the winter, but they are only partially effective against the rapidly mutating strains.    

As people become less interested in new vaccines, we are seeing a shift toward oral drugs as treatments, even though there are several drawbacks to those currently available. For example, the oral antiviral medication Paxlovid must be taken at the onset of COVID-19 symptoms, can’t be taken at the same time as many common drugs and supplements, and can be dangerous for people with reduced kidney or liver function.   

Vaccines and Paxlovid have played — and will continue to play — an important role in the COVID-19 response. But there is also an urgent need for convenient oral antiviral solutions to manage and stay ahead of the virus. This is where Lactovid™ can fill a need. People have safely used its two ingredients for decades, and the FDA understands their risk profiles.    

There are also advantages to using drug combinations to inhibit viruses. The history of HIV and Hepatitis C tells us that drugs targeting only one protein are often ineffective because the viruses eventually adapt to the drugs. Drug combinations, like those in Lactovid™, make it more difficult for viruses to develop resistance because the active ingredients target mechanisms that are common to all new SARS-CoV-2 variants and coronaviruses.    

Consistent with our expectations, a study from the University of Michigan showed that lactoferrin had “potent efficacy across different viral strains.” Another study of 92 COVID-19 patients found that those who were given lactoferrin had a faster negative test, quicker symptom recovery, and improved bloodwork with no adverse reactions. A study using 219,000 electronic medical records found that people ages 61 and older who used diphenhydramine were 65 percent less likely to test positive for COVID-19.   

Still, Lactovid™ is a complex drug, and curing COVID-19 is not as simple as drinking milk and taking Benadryl at the same time. While lactoferrin is a milk protein, it is not found in common pasteurized milk. Bovine lactoferrin exists in immune support supplements but, even then, nuances exist across its purity and composition that can influence antiviral properties.     

A clinical trial needs to happen before correct dosage and safety protocols may be identified and approved by the FDA, and that is exactly what we are trying to achieve. We hope that federal leaders and pharmaceutical companies utilize existing clinical trial resources to expand their investments beyond prescription-based solutions.    

Lactovid™ is not a miracle cure but it can be a powerful tool in the COVID-19 fight. Imagine an oral, over-the-counter treatment that is safe, robust to emerging variants, and widely available. With this tool, we could potentially inhibit the progression of the disease, reduce the burden on the healthcare system, and save lives on a global scale.    

David Ostrov, Ph.D. is an associate professor of immunology in the University of Florida’s College of Medicine and an active member of the Global Virus Network’s COVID-19 Taskforce. He created Immunodominant to translate his research efforts into supplements and therapies, including Vitale.