A Preventive Treatment for Migrant Workers at High-risk of COVID-19

• Status: Completed
• Trial end date: 2020-08-31
• Target enrollment: 0
• Participant gender: Male

Summary

In December 2019, a novel coronavirus, now called COVID-19, emerged as a global health threat from Wuhan, China. Within weeks, the contagious virus spread within and between communities, causing a lower respiratory tract infection dominated by symptoms of fever, cough and sore throat. The incubation period was estimated at between 5 to 7 days, but could last as long as 14 days. Although COVID-19 causes a mostly mild and self-limiting disease, respiratory involvement has been reported in about 5% of the population, requiring supplemental oxygen and even ventilatory support to relieve hypoxia. Alveolar damage, fibrosis and consolidation have been reported in radiologic and post-mortem studies. Existing data suggest a mortality rate of COVID-19 is approximately 1-2%, higher among individuals with pre-existing comorbidities and in healthcare systems with suboptimal access to ventilatory support.

Given its high transmissibility, COVID-19 has quickly spread across the globe within a short interval. By 27 April 2020, over 3 million people around the world have been diagnosed with COVID-19, and more 200,000 have succumbed to the disease. As a proportion of patients manifest mild or no symptoms, these numbers are likely an underestimate of the actual number of patients with COVID-19. More disconcertingly, patients are known to shed viruses despite mild or no symptoms, making it essential that a collective approach against COVID-19 incorporate active pharmacological treatment to prevent or mitigate virus pathogenesis prior to its potential evolution to cause respiratory distress. To date, clinical trials have focused on the treatment of hospitalised patients diagnosed with COVID-19; only few have examined the clinical benefits of pharmacological agents despite few compelling in vitro data.

The relatively high transmission of COVID-19 in a closed dormitory environment of migrant workers in Singapore presents a real-life scenario where a prophylaxis treatment could reduce the impact of the disease. In Singapore, there are well grounded concerns an excess in cases could pose the possibility of strain in healthcare system and mentally drain her workers. The availability of an effective prophylaxis treatment is highly desirable to potentially reduce this burden. Data from the current study could also have implications on how future outbreaks in high-density areas should be managed, especially when residents are subjected to quarantine and isolation.

• Phase: Phase 3
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers?: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Details

• Lead Sponsor: National University Hospital, Singapore
• Treatments: Ascorbic Acid; Hydroxychloroquine; Ivermectin; Povidone; Povidone-Iodine

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Subjects must meet all the of following criteria to be included in this study:

• Men residing in dormitory aged 21-60 years

• Willing and able to give informed consent

• Able to understand instructions and consume study medications according to the study protocol.

• Weight more than 40kg

• Owns a mobile phone (with wireless fidelity and/or 3G connection and able to fill in online forms.

Exclusion Criteria:

Subjects who have any of the following criteria at baseline will be excluded from participating in this study:

• Symptoms of acute respiratory illness (e.g. fever, runny nose, sore throat, cough, breathlessness, loss of smell and loss of taste) for the past 30 days

• Known current or history of SARS-CoV-2 infection

• Unable to read English or any of the available local languages used for this clinical trial

• History of cardiac or neurological diseases

• History of retinal diseases

• History of diabetes on insulin treatment

• History of depression

• History of chronic alcohol use

• History of renal or hepatic dysfunction

• History of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency

• History of anaemia, after exposure to any given medications

• History of thyroid disorder, hyperthyroidism, or sensitivity to iodine

• History of allergies with systemic presentation to any given medication (e.g.:

swelling of the face, throat, eyes and lips, respiratory disturbances, asthmatic attacks, widespread skin blistering or urticaria (hives))

• Concomitant medication that may lead to cardiac arrhythmia (azithromycin, amitriptyline, cimetidine, citalopram, nortriptyline, pantoprazole, quetiapine etc).

• Unwilling to comply with study dosing, instructions or restrictions.