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Randomized Phase IIA Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Ivermectin to Obtain Negative PCR Results in Patients With Early Phase COVID-19

Phase 2
Completed
Conditions
SARS-CoV Infection
Covid19
Coronavirus Infection
Interventions
Drug: Placebo
Registration Number
NCT04635943
Lead Sponsor
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Brief Summary

SAINT-PERU is a triple-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled trial with two parallel arms to evaluate the efficacy of ivermectin in negativizing nasopharyngeal PCR in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The trial is conducted in two national hospitals at Lima-Peru.

Detailed Description

SAINT is a triple-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled trial with two parallel arms to evaluate the efficacy of ivermectin in negativizing nasopharyngeal PCR in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The trial is conducted in two national hospitals at Lima-Peru.

The planned sample size is 186 SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive patients: 93 patients to treatment and 93 to the placebo group. Participants will be randomized to receive one dose of 300 mcg/kg ivermectin or placebo daily for three consecutive days. The epidemiologist will generate a list of correlative numbers, in randomized blocks of size 4, with the assignment to the treatment groups (a and b). The randomization list will be kept in an encrypted file accessible only to the trial statistician. This list will be handed directly to the pharmacist. Independently, the principal investigator will randomly assign the intervention (ivermectin) to one of the two groups (a or b) by tossing a coin, and will inform the pharmacist of the result of this process. The pharmacist will prepare and label the treatment vials according to the randomization list prepared by the epidemiologist and the treatment assignment given by the principal investigator. Eligible patients will be allocated in a 1:1 ratio using this randomization list.

Participants are expected to remain in the trial for a period of 21 days.

In the interests of public health and containing transmission of infection, follow-up visits will be conducted by the trial medical staff at the participant's home or at a hospital in case of hospitalization.

Follow-up visits will assess clinical and laboratory parameters of the patients.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
186
Inclusion Criteria
  1. Patients with COVID-19 typical symptoms (cough, fever, anosmia) present for not more than 96 hours.
  2. 18 years or older.
  3. No use of ivermectin prior to the study.
  4. No known history of ivermectin allergy.
  5. The patient can give his consent to take part in the study.
  6. Not current use of CYP 3A4 or P-gp inhibitor drugs such as quinidine, amiodarone, diltiazem, spironolactone, verapamil, clarithromycin, erythromycin, itraconazole, ketoconazole, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, indinavir, ritonavir or cobicistat. Use of critical CYP3A4 substrate drugs such as warfarin.
Exclusion Criteria
  1. COVID-19 pneumonia

    • Diagnosed by the attending physician (oxygen saturation < 95% or lung crackles)
  2. Positive pregnancy test for women of childbearing age*

  3. Positive IgG against SARS-CoV-2 by rapid diagnostic test.

  4. Negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR from a nasopharyngeal swab.

    • Women of child bearing age may participate if they use a safe contraceptive method for the entire period of the study. A woman is considered to not have childbearing capacity if she is post-menopausal (minimum of 2 years without menstruation) or has undergone surgical sterilization (at least one month before the study)

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
PlaceboPlaceboParticipants on this arm will receive orally one (1) daily dose of placebo for three (3) consecutive days, starting at the enrolment visit.
IvermectinIvermectinParticipants on this arm will receive orally one (1) daily dose of ivermectin 300 mcg/kg for three (3) consecutive days, starting at the enrolment visit.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Proportion of patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR.7 days post-treatment

Proportion of patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR from a nasopharyngeal swab at day 7 post-treatment

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Seroconversion at day 21Up to and including day 21

Proportion of participants with positive IgG at day 21

Proportion of drug-related adverse events7 days post treatment

Proportion of drug-related adverse events

Levels of IgG, IgM and IgAUp to and including day 21
Mean viral loadBaseline and on days 4, 7, 14 and 21

Change from baseline quantitative and semi-quantitative PCR in nasopharyngeal swab

Fever and cough progressionUp to and including day 21

Proportion of patients with fever and cough at days 4, 7, 14 and 21 as well as proportion of patients progressing to severe disease or death during the trial

Presence of intestinal helminthsBaseline and on day 14.

Proportion and parasitic load of intestinal helminths by spontaneous sedimentation method.

Frequency of innate immune cellsUp to and including day 7

Frequency (% over total PBMC) of innate immune cells (myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, NK cell, classical, intermediate and pro-inflammatory macrophages) measured in cryopreserved PBMC by flow cytometry

Frequency SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T and and CD8+ T cellsUp to and including day 7

Frequency of CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells (% over total CD4+T and CD8+ T) expressing any functional marker upon in vitro stimulation of PBMC with SARS-CoV-2 peptides, measured by flow cytometry

Results from cytokine Human Magnetic 30-Plex PanelUp to and including day 21

Concentration (all in pg/mL) of epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-γ, interleukin (IL)-1RA, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-2R, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12(p40/p70), IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, IFN-γ induced protein (IP-10), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), monokine induced by IFN-γ (MIG), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, MIP-1β in plasma measured by a Luminex assay using a commercially available kit (Cytokine Human Magnetic 30-Plex Panel from ThermoFisher)

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia

🇵🇪

Lima, Peru

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