Catalysing the Containment of COVID-19

Summary

COVID-19 due to SARS-CoV-2 infection is a rapidly escalating global pandemic for which there is no proven effective treatment. COVID-19 is multi-dimensional disease caused by viral cytopathic effects and host-mediated immunopathology. Therapeutic approaches should logically be based on interventions that have direct anti-viral effects and favourably modulate the host immune response. Thus, an optimal drug regimen in ambulatory patients should collectively (i) target and reduce viral replication, (ii) upregulate host innate immune anti-viral responses, (iii) have favourable immunomodulatory properties, and (iv) minimise disease progression to hospitalisation thus circumventing the 'cytokine storm' that likely underpins ARDS and multi-organ failure.

Nitazoxanide (NTZ) is an antiprotozoal drug that is FDA-approved for treating Cryptosporidium and Giardia and has an excellent safety record for a variety of indications, but primarily as an anti-parasitic agent. It has proven broad anti-viral activity as it amplifies cytoplasmic RNA sensing, potently augments type I interferon and autophagy-mediated anti-viral responses, has immunomodulatory properties e.g inhibits macrophage IL-6 production, and interferes with SARS-CoV-2 glycosylation. It has been shown to have anti-viral activity against several viruses including Ebola, influenza, hepatitis B and C, rotavirus and norovirus.

With regard to respiratory viral infections, NTZ was evaluated in uncomplicated influenza and demonstrated a reduction in the median time to symptom recovery. By contrast, NTZ failed to show benefit in hospitalised patients with severe influenza suggesting that, as with oseltamivir (Tamiflu), it likely needs to be administered early in the course of the disease. NTZ has proven in vitro activity against SARS-CoV-2. NTZ inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 at a low-micromolar concentrations and in vivo evaluation in patients with COVID-19 has been strongly recommended. NTZ has an excellent drug-drug interaction profile. No clinically significant interactions are expected with commonly used antihypertensive agents, anti-diabetics drugs, antiretroviral agents, steroids or commonly prescribed analgesics/anti-inflammatory agents.

The investigators propose NTZ for the treatment of mild COVID-19 in non-hospitalised patients with HIV co-infection and/or enhanced risk for progression to severe disease (age \>35 years and/or with comorbidity). The investigators will perform a randomised controlled trial enrolling 440 patients with mild disease. The primary outcome measure will be the proportion progressing to severe disease (hospitalisation) based on the WHO clinical progression scale (stage 4 and beyond). Secondary outcome measures will include disease rates in contacts and effect on viral load, productive infectiousness using viral cultures, and ability to abrogate the generation of infectious aerosols using novel cough aerosol sampling technology. Recruitment is stratified and thus the study is powered to detect progression to severe disease in HIV-infected persons.

Conditions

• COVID-19

Interventions

DRUG

Nitazoxanide

Nitazoxanide (NTZ) is licensed in the USA for treatment of diarrhoea caused by Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia lamblia. NTZ is a pro-drug for tizoxanide, which also has broad spectrum antiviral properties, has many viral indications and shows promising pharmacodynamics against Coronaviridae. NTZ was identified as a first-in-class broad-spectrum antiviral drug and has been repurposed for the treatment of influenza. In vitro studies evaluating tizoxanide, the active circulating metabolite of NTZ, inhibits the replication of broad range of influenza A and B, HIN1, H3N2, H3N2V, H3N8, H5N9, H7N1 and oseltamivir resistant strain and coronaviruses . It has been shown to have anti-viral activity against several viruses including Ebola, hepatitis B and C, rotavirus and norovirus.

DRUG

Placebo

Placebo pills with no active ingredient.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Medical Research Council, South Africa

  collaborator OTHER

• Aurum Institute

  collaborator OTHER

• National Institutes of Health (NIH)

  collaborator NIH

• Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

  collaborator OTHER

• University of KwaZulu

  collaborator OTHER

• Perinatal HIV Research Unit of the University of the Witswatersrand

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Cape Town

  lead OTHER

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

120 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-08-27

Primary Completion

2021-12-21

Completion

2022-08-12

Countries

• South Africa

Study Locations