U-ivermectin trial in the treatment of COVID near completion

Researchers at the University of Minnesota will end registration of ivermectin for the treatment of COVID-19 in the first clinical trial in Japan this week, with highly anticipated results for this study just one month ahead. There is a possibility.

The COVID-OUT study is looking at three common drugs, including the antidepressant fluvoxamine and the diabetes treatment metformin, which are notable for their inclusion of ivermectin. Despite warnings from the Food and Drug Administration that ivermectin is removed only to treat parasitic infections, head lice, and certain skin conditions, controversial drugs are against the COVID-19 vaccine. Supported by.

The anti-inflammatory effects of all three drugs facilitated U studies. This was delayed by slow registration during the summer, up to the pandemic delta and omicron waves. Principal Researcher Dr. Carolyn Bramante said the results would provide clinical guidance to physicians facing record pandemic cases and whether to approve the drug for the treatment of COVID-19 to the FDA. ..

“The sooner it was, the better, but I’m really proud of my team,” she said. “We complete very quickly.”

Proven outpatient COVID-19 treatments are limited and supply in Minnesota is inadequate. Minnesota’s provider discontinued injections of the two monoclonal antibodies in December because they had to distribute an effective type that was ineffective against the Omicron variant. The new FDA-approved antiviral COVID-19 pill will be shipped to Minnesota every other week in small quantities.

There was good news on Tuesday when Minnesota reported a month-long decline in the positive rate of the COVID-19 test. Over 23% of the samples were positive in the 7 days leading up to January 14. Modeling by the Mayo Clinic suggests that the peak of the pandemic wave that caused the record-breaking infection in Minnesota is only a few days.

A Tuesday report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention also confirmed that Omicron caused increased infections and hospitalizations in the United States, but with shorter hospital stays and fewer hospitalizations and deaths in intensive care units.

Minnesota’s experience is consistent with those findings: COVID-19 hospitalizations increased in early January, but declined last week to reach 1,507 on Monday. The percentage of hospitalizations requiring an ICU stay also decreased from 25% in mid-December to 15%.

The CDC report warned that more vaccinations and preventative treatments were needed as the pandemic continued to threaten the hospital’s capacity and caused death from COVID-19.

Minnesota reported 35,504 coronavirus infections and 37 COVID-19 deaths on Tuesday. This reflects a catch-up on weekend pandemic activity and unprocessed infection reports. Eighty-two percent of the 11,230 COVID-19 deaths in Minnesota were elderly, but Tuesday’s report included the deaths of Hennepin County residents aged 25-29.

In the U trial, 1,100 patients with COVID-19 will be enrolled with fluvoxamine and ivermectin alone or in combination with metformin, or with non-medicated placebo for comparison. This study tracks whether patients taking the drug for 14 days avoid hospitalization and maintain healthy blood oxygen levels.

Bramante said the drug may reduce excessive inflammation. This is a feature of some of the most severe and deadly COVID-19 cases. Ivermectin has been tried in other countries, such as India, where access to the vaccine is low, despite the World Health Organization warning of its use outside clinical trials until its benefits are proven. ..

Several global studies of drugs have been uncovered while other studies in the United States are behind U’s study. Duluth-based Essentia Health announced on Monday that it will participate in an ongoing national ACTIV-6 clinical trial studying ivermectin in combination with fluvoxamine and the inhaled steroid fluticasone.

“The purpose of this study is to see if these drugs make you feel better and prevent hospitalization,” said Dr. Rajesh Prab, an expert on essentia infections.

Bramante said he was not allowed to see patient data from the U study until enrollment was completed, but allowing the Data Safety Oversight Committee to continue is a positive sign. rice field. This means that the drug is not causing harm, but there is no evidence yet, but it works perfectly or does not work for COVID-19.

U is the national leader in drug reuse studies for COVID-19 and has begun trials that failed to support the use of hydroxychloroquine for prevention or treatment.

If the COVID-OUT drug works, Bramante will need to be taken early in the infection, he said. U researchers run daily to night transport depots to deliver investigational drugs to people with COVID-19 who register in less than a day.

Minnesota learned on Monday that there was a slight increase in proven outpatient treatment. Next week, federal allocation of monoclonal antibodies will increase by 21%, including 792 courses of sotrovimab and 1,224 courses of Evusheld. This is mostly limited to immunocompromised COVID-19 patients.

Next week’s antiviral shipments will remain unchanged, with 5,440 molnupiravir and 1,360 more effective Paxrovid.

M Health Fairview administered 160 doses of the drug, but found a 30% rejection rate because people were worried about side effects or didn’t think the symptoms were worthy of treatment until it was too late. board member.

“People are unaware of how sick they are.”

He added that some patients are hesitant to offer less effective molnupiravir because the most effective molnupiravir is assigned to the highest-risk patients.

“It’s still perfectly worth it. It reduces the risk in your hospital by 30%. It makes you feel better faster.”