Investigational Treatments for COVID-19 in Tertiary Care Hospital of Pakistan
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2020-07-20
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Beyond supportive care, there are currently no proven treatment options for coronavirus
disease (COVID-19) and related pneumonia, caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).Investigators have seen recently from experience in Western
countries with best health care systems that pandemics cannot be managed in hospitals.
Investigators have seen ICUs crowded to capacity, healthcare workers being exposed and going
to quarantine or dying after exposure to large doses of viral inoculums. Investigators
recommend that institutions should register for Clinical trials and consider emergency use of
TPE. In Pandemics, time is of essence to avoid mortality by intervening early with available
evidence, preferably as part of clinical trial.Since the outbreak of corona virus disease
(COVID-19), main treatment modalities have been antivirals, interferons, glucocorticoids,
anti-coagulants and supportive treatment in addition to traditional Chinese medicine. There
are also clinical trials exploring hydroxyquinoline / chloroquine sulphate, azithromycin,
immunoglobulins, Vitamin-C, washed microbiota, nebulized interferon, teicoplanin as well as
Mesenchymal stem cells. However, most of these trials were small and remain in the
experimental phase with currently no effective / speciļ¬c antiviral with robust scientific
evidence as regards the mortality reduction in COVID-19.In an attempt to treat COVID-19,
investigator will use different investigational treatment either alone or in combination to
see mortality and morbidity benefit on the basis of limitted evidence available so far. These
investigational modalities include Therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE), Convalescent Plasma
(CP), Remdesivir, Tocilizumab and Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy in addition to standard
supportive treatment.