Could an Existing HIV Drug Slow the Spread of COVID-19? / Un farmaco HIV esistente potrebbe rallentare la diffusione di COVID-19?
Could an Existing HIV Drug Slow the Spread of COVID-19? / Un farmaco HIV esistente potrebbe rallentare la diffusione di COVID-19?
Segnalato dal Dott. Giuseppe Cotellessa / Reported by Dr. Giuseppe Cotellessa
A team of scientists from Sinai Health, St. Michael’s Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is launching a clinical trial to understand whether an existing drug used for HIV treatment and prevention may work to prevent COVID-19 infection.
The trial will examine whether post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), a medication a person takes once they’ve been exposed to a virus to prevent infection, could halt or slow the spread of COVID-19 in groups of people who have been exposed to a confirmed case.
The drug in question – Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir as PEP)– has long been used in this capacity to prevent HIV in those who have been exposed to the virus.
“Early studies of the use of this medication as post-exposure prophylaxis therapy in other coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS have been promising,” said Dr. Darrell Tan, the study’s lead investigator and an infectious disease physician at St. Michael’s. “These are so-called ‘cousin’ viruses to COVID-19 and we want to understand whether lopinavir/ritonavir as PEP could impact its spread as well.”
Dr. Tan, along with his co-leads Dr. Allison McGeer, a senior clinician-scientist at Sinai Health’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, and Dr. Adrienne Chan, a clinician-investigator at the Sunnybrook Research Institute, will collaborate with Toronto Public Health to identify confirmed cases of COVID-19. They’ll then connect with those exposed to confirmed cases to enroll them in the study.
“A great many people from all across Toronto have worked together to get this study started,” says Dr. McGeer. “We know we need to be finding solutions that contribute to stopping the spread of this disease as quickly as possible.”
The group of contacts of one patient with confirmed COVID-19 will be identified as a ‘cluster.’ Entire clusters will be randomized to receive either the medication or no intervention. The team of researchers will then track whether or not participants develop COVID-19 by asking them to complete self-tests for the virus weekly.
“If this strategy works, it could be a major turning point in our global effort to stop a virus where, as we have seen, the outcomes can be devastating,” said. Dr. Tan. “We are hopeful that our work will bring us closer to understanding how to slow or contain the spread of COVID-19.”
The trial will examine whether post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), a medication a person takes once they’ve been exposed to a virus to prevent infection, could halt or slow the spread of COVID-19 in groups of people who have been exposed to a confirmed case.
The drug in question – Kaletra (lopinavir/ritonavir as PEP)– has long been used in this capacity to prevent HIV in those who have been exposed to the virus.
“Early studies of the use of this medication as post-exposure prophylaxis therapy in other coronaviruses such as SARS and MERS have been promising,” said Dr. Darrell Tan, the study’s lead investigator and an infectious disease physician at St. Michael’s. “These are so-called ‘cousin’ viruses to COVID-19 and we want to understand whether lopinavir/ritonavir as PEP could impact its spread as well.”
Dr. Tan, along with his co-leads Dr. Allison McGeer, a senior clinician-scientist at Sinai Health’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, and Dr. Adrienne Chan, a clinician-investigator at the Sunnybrook Research Institute, will collaborate with Toronto Public Health to identify confirmed cases of COVID-19. They’ll then connect with those exposed to confirmed cases to enroll them in the study.
“A great many people from all across Toronto have worked together to get this study started,” says Dr. McGeer. “We know we need to be finding solutions that contribute to stopping the spread of this disease as quickly as possible.”
The group of contacts of one patient with confirmed COVID-19 will be identified as a ‘cluster.’ Entire clusters will be randomized to receive either the medication or no intervention. The team of researchers will then track whether or not participants develop COVID-19 by asking them to complete self-tests for the virus weekly.
“If this strategy works, it could be a major turning point in our global effort to stop a virus where, as we have seen, the outcomes can be devastating,” said. Dr. Tan. “We are hopeful that our work will bring us closer to understanding how to slow or contain the spread of COVID-19.”
ITALIANO
Un gruppo di scienziati del Sinai Health, dell'ospedale di St. Michael e del Sunnybrook Health Sciences Center sta lanciando una sperimentazione clinica per capire se un farmaco esistente usato per il trattamento e la prevenzione dell'HIV può funzionare per prevenire l'infezione da COVID-19.
Lo studio esaminerà se la profilassi post-esposizione (PEP), un farmaco che una persona prende una volta che sono stati esposti a un virus per prevenire l'infezione, potrebbe arrestare o rallentare la diffusione di COVID-19 in gruppi di persone a cui è stata esposta in un caso confermato.
Il farmaco in questione - Kaletra (lopinavir / ritonavir come PEP) - è stato a lungo utilizzato in questa funzione per prevenire l'HIV in coloro che sono stati esposti al virus.
"I primi studi sull'uso di questo farmaco come terapia di profilassi post-esposizione in altri coronavirus come la SARS e la MERS sono stati promettenti", ha affermato il dottor Darrell Tan, ricercatore capo dello studio e medico di malattie infettive presso St. Michael's. "Questi sono i cosiddetti virus" cugini "di COVID-19 e vogliamo capire se anche lopinavir / ritonavir come PEP potrebbero influire sulla sua diffusione."
Il Dr. Tan, insieme ai suoi co-conduttori Dr. Allison McGeer, uno scienziato clinico senior presso l'Istituto di ricerca Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum del Sinai Health, e la dott.ssa Adrienne Chan, ricercatrice clinica presso il Sunnybrook Research Institute, collaboreranno con Toronto Public Salute per identificare casi confermati di COVID-19. Si collegheranno quindi con quelli esposti a casi confermati per iscriverli allo studio.
"Molte persone provenienti da tutta Toronto hanno lavorato insieme per iniziare questo studio", afferma il Dr. McGeer. "Sappiamo che dobbiamo trovare soluzioni che contribuiscano a fermare la diffusione di questa malattia il più rapidamente possibile".
Il gruppo di contatti di un paziente con COVID-19 confermato verrà identificato come un "cluster". I cluster interi verranno randomizzati per ricevere il farmaco o nessun intervento. Il gruppo di ricercatori verificherà quindi se i partecipanti sviluppano o meno COVID-19 chiedendo loro di completare gli autotest settimanali per il virus.
"Se questa strategia funziona, potrebbe essere un importante punto di svolta nel nostro sforzo globale per fermare un virus in cui, come abbiamo visto, i risultati possono essere devastanti", ha detto. Dr. Tan. "Speriamo che il nostro lavoro ci avvicini alla comprensione di come rallentare o contenere la diffusione di COVID-19".
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