Therapy Areas: AIDS & HIV
NIH-Sponsored COVID-19 Clinical Trial Begins at The Lundquist Institute
7 May 2020 - - Researchers at Los Angeles-based The Lundquist Institute have begun a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial designed to find out whether hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin reduce hospitalisation and/or death in individuals suffering from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, the institute said.

This trial, sponsored by the National Institutes for Health, will include 2,000 adults with symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infections.

Under the direction of Dr. Eric Daar, The Lundquist Institute will be one of 25 to 30 sites nationwide, each looking to enroll about 100 patients over the next six weeks.

During the trial, patients will receive seven days of treatment with drugs or placebo, with a follow-up appointment at 20 days.

A randomized selection of participants will receive oral doses of hydroxychloroquine or placebo twice daily for seven days, as well as a daily dose of azithromycin or placebo for five days.

This combination of medications has been used to treat a few COVID-19 patients and is advocated by some in the medical and political communities, but its efficacy, as well as its safety, is unproven at this point, which is why this trial is required.

The initial endpoint of the study would be to evaluate the levels of hospitalization and/or death within 20 days following enrollment in the study. Nonetheless, subjects will continue to be monitored at 12 and 24 weeks post-enrollment.

A Data Safety Monitoring Board, the impartial jury of the study, will be reviewing results weekly to determine safety and efficacy of the treatment.

Subjects will be interviewed by phone seven times during the 20 days to determine if any potentially harmful side effects are experienced.

These would be reported immediately to the DSMB. Release of study results will be up to the DSMB or after all participants have completed the study and data is fully analyzed.

A randomised clinical trial is the only effective way to determine if a treatment such as this can safely benefit those suffering from COVID-19.

The disease, which was discovered late last year, has already killed more than 70,000 Americans since late February.

The Lundquist Institute, with its extensive background and history in clinical studies on viruses, such as HIV, said it is ideally prepared to hit the ground running in this study.

The Lundquist Institute, formerly the Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed), is an engine of innovation with a global reach and a 67-year history.

With its new medical research building, its incubator, "BioLabs at The Lundquist," existing laboratory and support infrastructure, and a 15-acre tech park in the planning stages, the Lundquist Institute is poised to serve as a hub for the Los Angeles area's burgeoning biotech scene.

The research institute has over 100 principal investigators (PhDs, MDs, and MD/PhDs) working on more than 600 research studies, including therapies for numerous orphan diseases, and is responsible for innovations including the first FDA-approved treatment for sickle cell disease in 20 years.
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