COVID-19 Clinical Trials and Expanded Access

The current spread of the COrona VIrus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) epidemic in Italy, and the current lack of effective and approved drugs for its treatment, poses the problem of Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected patients management, especially those who underwent to experience COVID-19 complications, such as CRS. This unmet need becomes more severe if the investigator consider that, the COVID-19 mortality stands around 2% in the general population, but it rises to 49% when considering intensive care unit (ICU) patients. To increase the chances of survival of these patients, the compassionate use of the available drugs is required, based on literature data, to the best of our abilities. ICU patients with cytokine release syndrome (CRS) secondary to COVID-19, show increased production of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL-6), IL-2, IL-7, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (INF)γ, similar to that found in patients who develop CRS secondary to Chimeric Antigen Receptor-T (CAR-T) therapy. Although immuno-modulatory therapy is not routinely recommended in COVID-19 pneumonia, tocilizumab might have a rationale in those patients who develop CRS, blocking the complications caused by high levels of IL-6, and possibly preventing the development of a multi-organ failure. Reassuring data in this sense, come from the first studies conducted in China. In a Chinese pilot study, Xiaoling Xu and collaborators used tocilizumab (at a dosage of 400 mg iv in a single dose, with a possible second dose in case of no clinical response) in patients with COVID-19 in the presence of one of the following criteria: i) respiratory rate ≥ 30 acts/min; ii) SpO2 ≤ 93% in ambient air; iii) PaO2/FiO2 ≤ 300 mmHg. In the 21 patients treated with tocilizumab a significant reduction in IL-6 levels and fever, with improvement in lung function, was demonstrated. Besides, 90% of treated patients showed an improvement in the radiological picture, in terms of a decrease in the frosted glass areas, and a return to normal lymphocytes count in the peripheral blood. This is a prospective observational clinical study and it is aimed at verifying tocilizumab efficacy and safety in patients with COVID-19 complicated by acute distress respiratory syndrome (ARDS) and CRS.

Phase II & Phase III: This is a pragmatic, adaptive, randomized, multicenter phase II/III study evaluating IFX-1 for the treatment of COVID-19 related severe pneumonia. The study consists of two parts: Phase II, an open-label, randomized, 2-arm phase evaluating best supportive care (BSC) + IFX-1 (Arm A) and BSC alone (Arm B); and Phase III, a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized phase comparing standard of care (SOC) + IFX-1 (Arm A) versus SOC + placebo-to-match (Arm B)

To investigate the mechanism, clinical outcome and therapeutic efficacy with favipiravir of Corona Virus Disease 2019 patients whose nucleic acids changed from negative to positive.

19 COVID (Coronavirus disease 2019 ) is a deadly viral disease that has been spreading around the world for several months, and is caused by a CORONA family virus (COVID-19). Following IN-VITRO evidence of the antiviral effect of CHLOROQUINE in CORONA viruses, this drug has been used empirically for COVID-19 patients and is currently recommended in Israel for the treatment of intermediate and severity disease. The mechanism of action of chloroquine is in part by inhibiting the virus distribution, and changing the intracellular acidity, the virus distribution site. The intracellular chloroquine concentration is determined by a pump called PGP (permeability glycoprotein) that removes the drug from the cell and is activated by the drug. In the treatment of malaria, the benefit of low dosage of the drug has been shown to be effective due to the fact that the intracellular concentration of the drug is probably higher, and therefore the logic to examine this issue in COVID-19 treatment. The purpose of this study is to test whether a low dose of Chloroquine will reduce the duration of the viral shedding and prevent the disease from worsening.

In December 2019, a new virus emerged in Wuhan, China rapidly becoming a pandemic with registered cases above 800,000 around the world. The virus is now known as SARS-CoV2 calling its disease coronavirus-19 or COVID-19. The mortality of the virus has been reported around 2-10% and its causes because of the proinflammatory immune response generated on the host. The cytokines involved in the immune response to COVID-19 are IL-1, IL-2, IL4, IL-6, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, IL-17, GCSF, MCSF, IP-10, MCP-1, MIP-1α, HGF, IFN-γ y TNF-α. Ruxolitinib is an inhibitor of JAK 1/2 which is responsable for multiple cellular signals including the proinflammatory IL-6. Ruxolitinib works as and immunomodulator decreasing the cytotoxic T lymphocytes and increasing the Treg cells. This study is intended to stop the disregulated immune response caused by COVID-19 that generates the pneumonia and subsequent severe acute respiratory syndrome.

The new outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus is causing an important pandemic affecting a large number of people all-over the world. Vitamin D is a hormone precursor produced by our own body with the help of sunlight which has an important role on adaptive immunity and cellular differentiation, maturation and proliferation of several immune cells. Reduced levels of vitamin D in calves were positioned as the main cause of bovine coronavirus infection in the past. Therefore, it seems plausible that the use of vitamin D as a nutritional ergogenic aid could be a potential intervention to fight against COVID-19 infected patients which remain asymptomatic or which have non-severe and severe symptoms. This study aims to investigate whether the use of vitamin D as an immune modulator agent induces significant improvements of health status and outcomes in non-severe symptomatic patients infected with COVID-19 as well as preventing COVID-19 health deterioration. We hypothesize that vitamin D will significantly improve hard endpoints related to COVID-19 deleterious consequences compared with a usual care control group.

Patients with documented moderate COVID-19 infection will be randomized 1:1 to receive piclidenoson 2 mg Q12H orally with standard supportive care (SSC - intervention arm) or placebo orally with SSC (control arm) for up to 28 days.

Convalescent plasma (CP) has been used in recent years as an empirical treatment strategy when there is no vaccine or treatment available for infectious diseases. In the latest viral epidemics, such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014, the World Health Organization issued a document outlining a protocol for the use of whole blood or plasma collected from patients who have recovered from the Ebola virus disease by transfusion to empirically treat local infectious outbreaks

Whereas the pandemic due do Covid-19 continues to spread, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in 30% of patients with a 30%-60% mortality rate for those requiring hospitalization in an intensive care unit. The main physio-pathological hallmark is an acute pulmonary inflammation. Currently, there is no treatment. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) feature several attractive characteristics: ease of procurement, high proliferation potential, capacity to home to inflammatory sites, anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic and immunomodulatory properties. If all MSC share several characteristics regardless of the tissue source, the highest productions of bioactive molecules and the strongest immunomodulatory properties are yielded by those from the Wharton's jelly of the umbilical cord. An additional advantage is that they can be scaled-up to generate banks of cryofrozen and thus readily available products. These cells have already been tested in several clinical trials with an excellent safety record. The objective of this project is to treat intubated-ventilated patients presenting with a SARS-CoV2-related Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) of less than 96 hours by three intravenous infusions of umbilical cord Wharton's jelly-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (UC-MSC) one every other day (duration of the treatment: one week). The primary endpoint is the PaO2/FiO2 ratio at day 7. The evolution of several inflammatory markers, T regulatory lymphocytes and donor-specific antibodies will also be monitored. The trial will include 40 patients, of whom 20 will be cell-treated while the remaining 20 patients will be injected with a placebo solution in addition to the standard of care. Given the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV2, it is thus sound to hypothesize that the intravenous administration of UC-MSC during the initial phase of ARDS could control inflammation, accelerate its recovery with improved oxygenation, reduced mechanical ventilation and ventilation weaning time and therefore reduced length of stay in intensive care. The feasibility of the project is supported by the expertise of the Meary Cell and Gene Therapy Center, which is approved for the production of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products and has already successfully prepared the first batches of cells, as well as by the involvement of a cardiac surgery team which will leverage its experience with stem cells for the treatment of heart failure to make it relevant to the Stroma-Cov-2 project.

There is an urgent need to understand the outcomes of COVID-19 infected patients who undergo surgery, specially vascular surgery. Capturing real-world data and sharing Spanish national experience will inform the management of this complex group of patients who undergo surgery throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, improving their clinical care. The global community has recognised that rapid dissemination and completion of studies in COVID-19 infected patients is a high priority, so we encourage all stakeholders (local investigators, ethics committees, IRBs) to work as quickly as possible to approve this project. This investigator-led, non-commercial, non-interventional study is extremely low risk, or even zero risk. This study does not collect any patient identifiable information (including no dates) and data will not be analysed at hospital-level.