Use of anti-inflammatory drug in treating patients with severe COVID-19 may lower risk of death

A recent research from UTHealth Houston and other institutions suggests that an anti-inflammatory drugs may be able to alleviate systemic inflammation and brain damage in patients with severe COVID-19 and significantly reduce their chance of death.

The trial comprised 24 people with severe COVID-19 who were randomly randomised to receive either a single intravenous dose of placebo or OP-101 at 2, 4, or 8 mg/kg. All patients received the standard of care, which included corticosteroids.

According to Gusdon, the study’s first author, “OP-101 is a novel nanotherapeutic drug that selectively targets active macrophages and microglia, the key immune cells in the brain. We were thrilled to provide this medication to these critically ill patients at Memorial Hermann Hospital because of its exceptional safety profile.

The SARS-CoV-2-induced hyper inflammation is a primary contributor to COVID-19 disease severity. Neurofilament light chain and glial fibrillary acidic protein, which are indicators of neurological injury, were found to be reduced by OP-101 more effectively than by a placebo.

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Furthermore, the risk for the composite endpoint of death or mechanical breathing at 30 or 60 days after treatment was 18% for patients in the combined OP-101 treatment arms compared to 71 % for individuals receiving the placebo. 3 of the 7 patients who received a placebo and 14 of the 17 patients who received OP-101 survived 60 days after treatment.

According to the data, OP-101 was well tolerated in the critically sick patient population and may be a successful therapy option for COVID-19 patients who are hospitalised.

Despite the fact that this was a small-dose escalation experiment, Gusdon noted that there was obviously a significant signal in favour of benefit at both the acute and chronic time points.

“It is incredibly intriguing to consider the idea that this therapy may also help patients with other conditions that trigger systemic inflammatory responses, including different types of brain injury.”

OP-101, a nanotherapeutic material, has been evaluated in a variety of animal models of inflammatory illness and has shown superior anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant benefits.

The COVID-19 pandemic has infected over 300 million people, and over 5 million have died as a result.

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