Beta blockers and Solidarity trial drugs decrease SARS-CoV2 infection in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiac myocytes

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has emerged as a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, placing unprecedented pressure on healthcare. Cardiomyopathy is described in patients with severe Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and increasing evidence suggests that cardiovascular involvement portends a high mortality. While it has been shown that SARS-CoV-2 can infect hiPSC-CMs, effects of common medications of patients with pre-existing conditions such as cardiovascular diseases on virus infection as well as the effect of drugs currently tested as part of the Solidarity clinical trial on heart tissue are not yet well studied.