COVID-19 Clinical Trials and Expanded Access

The COVID-19 pandemic has already overwhelmed the sanitary capacity. Additional therapeutic arsenals, albeit untested in the given context but previously proven to be efficacious in a related clinical context, that could reduce the morbidity rate are urgently needed. A decrease of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) is a validated bad prognosis marker in sepsis and acute respiratory distress syndrome. In contrast, auricular vagus nerve stimulation was proven not only to increase HRV values in healthy Humans, but also to reduce sepsis and increase survival, both significantly, in experimental models. Moreover, the heavy viral infection within the brainstem of deceased patients suggests that the neuroinvasive potential of SARS-CoV2 is likely to be partially responsible for COVID-19 acute respiratory failure and may bear relevance in tailoring future treatment modalities. Interestingly, the vagus nerve (or tenth cranial nerve) connects bidirectionally the brainstem to various internal organs including the lung and to one external organ, namely, the outer ear. Hence, the impact of auricular vagus nerve stimulation through semi-permanent needles will be studied, mostly used so far for pain alleviation, on the outcome of COVID-19 inpatients within 15 days.

Evaluate HACOR socre utility and efficacy in predicting NIV and/or CPAP failure in patients with COVID-19 associated respiratory failure. Propose adaptations to HACOR score based on the "state of art" of COVID-19

This is a prospective, multi-site study designed to evaluate whether the use of hydroxychloroquine in healthcare workers (HCW), Nursing Home Workers (NHW), first responders (FR), and Detroit Department of Transportation bus drivers (DDOT) in SE, Michigan, can prevent the acquisition, symptoms and clinical COVID-19 infection The primary objective of this study is to determine whether the use of daily or weekly oral hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) therapy will prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 viremia and clinical COVID-19 infection healthcare workers (HCW) and first responders (FR) (EMS, Fire, Police, bus drivers) in Southeast Michigan. Preventing COVID-19 transmission to HCW, FR, and Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) bus drivers is a critical step in preserving the health care and first responder force, the prevention of COVID-19 transmission in health care facilities, with the potential to preserve thousands of lives in addition to sustaining health care systems and civil services both nationally and globally. If efficacious, further studies on the use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19 in the general population could be undertaken, with a potential impact on hundreds of thousands of lives.

Trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of NTZ for post-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19 and other VRIs in elderly LTCF residents.

This study is a multicenter randomized trial to evaluate the efficacy of administering a dietary supplement containing resistant starch to non-hospitalized COVID-19 positive subjects, The intervention will begin as soon as possible after subjects test positive for COVID-19 and continue for 14 days. Investigators hypothesize that short-term administration of a dietary supplement containing resistant starch has the potential to reduce rates of hospitalization and improve time to clinical recovery and symptoms in non-hospitalized COVID-19 positive patients.

The goal of the research is to assess candidate COVID-19 rapid diagnostic tests (e.g. immunodiagnostic antibody tests, like Cellex qSARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM Rapid Test, or antigen tests, like Turklab Test-It COVID-19 Home Test, AllBio Science Inc. and Artron Laboratories Inc. rapid COVID-19 antigen tests in order to judge their clinical accuracy compared to Centers for Disease Control (CDC)-recommended molecular genetic testing and clinical diagnosis. Second, it is our goal to determine if self-testing assisted by COVIDscanDX mobile device camera acquisition software platform and telemedicine clinical/technical support (virtual point-of-care) improves the ease of use and immediate interpretation of the tests, thus making self-testing comparable in accuracy and safety to testing in a clinical setting. Third, we are testing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 after diagnosis with COVID-19 or following vaccination to measure the onset and time course of detectable antibodies from finger-stick blood drops and rapid antibody lateral flow tests. The overall purpose of the study is to dramatically increase the capacity of COVID-19 testing by establishing the safety, ease-of-use and validity of self-testing assisted by mobile device imaging and telemedicine remote support and provide evidence of antibody time-course response to vaccination.

Different studies have demonstrated that the absence of companionship during labor and childbirth may be responsible for a negative birth experience, an increased risk of postnatal depression and/or post traumatic stress disorders. These situation may also have a negative impact on mother-child interaction, on marital and family relationship and on the rate of maternal suicide in postpartum. However, these previous results cannot be extrapolated in the current context where the absence of the companionship is imposed by the confinement framework. The objective of the CONFINE study is to assess, for the first time, the birth experience of women in the context of limited social support in the immediate post-partum period due to confinement, as well as the associated over-risk of mental disorders, compared to a post-partum without social restriction.

The novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a new strain of coronavirus found in human in 2019, which causes epidemic worldwide. Novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) causes acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in patients with severe COVID-19. Pulmonary edema is the key detrimental feature of ALI/ARDS. Autopsy of patients died from COVID-19 reported that, pulmonary mucus exudation was more severe and obvious than SARS infection. Pulmonary CT scanning and pathological findings also suggest that pulmonary edema caused by inflammatory exudation is a distinguished feature of COVID-19. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), also known as vascular permeability factor (VPF), is known as the most potent factor to increase vascular permeability, with the induction effect 50,000 times stronger than histamine. Bevacizumab is an anti-VEGF recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody, which has been used in anti-tumor treatment since 2004, with considerable reliability and clinical safety. This trial will provide high level evidence to answer whether bevacizumab is efficacy and safe medication for patients with severe COVID-19.

COVID-19 is a respiratory illness caused by SARS-CoV-2 with a range of symptoms from mild, self-limiting respiratory tract infections to severe progressive pneumonia, multiorgan dysfunction and death. A portion of individuals with COVID-19 experience life-threatening hypoxia requiring supplemental oxygen and mechanical ventilation. Management of hypoxia in this population is complicated by contraindication of non-invasive ventilation and limitations in access to mechanical ventilation and critical care staff given the clinical burden of disease. Positional therapy is readily deployable and may ultimately be used to treat COVID-19 related respiratory failure in resources limited settings; and, it has been demonstrated to improve oxygenation and is easy to implement in the clinical setting. The overall goal of this randomized controlled trial is to establish the feasibility of performing a randomized trial using a simple, minimally invasive positional therapy approach to improve hypoxia and reduce progression to mechanical ventilation. The objectives are to examine the effectiveness and feasibility of maintaining an inclined position in patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 associated hypoxemic respiratory failure. The investigators hypothesize that (1) oxyhemoglobin saturation will improve with therapy, (2) participants will tolerate and adhere to the intervention, and that (3) participants who adhere to positional therapy will have reduced rates of mechanical ventilation at 72 hours. If successful, this feasibility trial will demonstrate that a simple, readily deployed nocturnal postural maneuver is well tolerated and reverses underlying defects in ventilation and oxygenation due to COVID-19. It will also inform the design of a pivotal Phase III trial with estimates of sample sizes for clinically relevant outcomes.

This is a phase 2b prospective, randomized, single-blind, controlled trial of a single subcutaneous injection of peginterferon lambda-1a versus placebo for prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection in non-hospitalized participants at high risk for infection due to household exposure to an individual with coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The study will also evaluate the regimens participants with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection detected at study entry. All participants will be followed for up to 12 weeks.