Baylor University Medical Center Investigates Safety & Efficacy of Leronlimab in Severe to Critical COVID-19 Patients:
Baylor University Medical Center prepares to initiate a clinical trial investigating leronlimab, an investigational drug for HIV infections that has been under clinical evaluation due to its apparent ability to inhibit lung inflammation associated with COVID-19. With the goal to reduce breathing problems and help patients with severe to critical COVID-19 cases, the prominent Texas academic medical center (and largest not-for-profit health system in Texas) was selected by drug sponsor CytoDyn to participate in an ongoing Phase 3 clinical trial. Northern Texas research sites get busy as well in the fight against COVID-19.
Top California Gastroenterology Investigator Leads Phase 2 Ivermectin Clinical Trial Targeting COVID-19 Cases:
A dynamic research organization in Ventura, California, called Progenabiome, LLC will initiate a Phase 2 clinical trial investigating the efficacy of ivermectin in combination with Doxycycline, much like the successful combination tested by Dr. Tarek Alam from Bangladesh Medical College, in combination with dietary supplements including Zinc, Vitamin D3 and Vitamin C. The study is led by a top principal investigator in California, profiled previously by TrialSite News: Dr. Sabine Hazan.
Do the MATH+: COVID-19 Protocol of Steroids and Vitamin C Divides Experts:
A group of critical-care specialists from academic institutions and major hospitals have come together to form the Front Line Covid-19 Critical Care Alliance, and they have developed the MATH+ protocol for hospital treatment of COVID-19. On July 16, Medscape took a look at this protocol. They note that, “response to the protocol among other critical care physicians is mixed, with several physicians, in interviews with Medscape Medical News, urging caution because the benefits and relative risks of the combined medications have not been tested in randomized control trials.” MATH+ is an acronym for “methylprednisolone (a steroid), ascorbic acid (vitamin C), thiamine, and heparin.” The “plus” stands for additional supplements, such as vitamin D, zinc, and melatonin. MATH+ evolved from “HAT therapy” (hydrocortisone, ascorbic acid, and thiamine) that was created by Dr. Paul Marik, chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine at Eastern Virginia Medical School, for critical cases of sepsis.
MATH+, RCTs, and Heresy
Arbutus Biopharma Seeks a Share of Moderna’s Revenues Should its COVID-19 Vaccine (mRNA-1273) be Approved: Patent Dispute:
Moderna, the maker of mRNA-1273, one of the leading COVID-19 experimental vaccine candidates, has attracted enormous attention from investors, society, and the press, not to mention from health authorities and governments around the world. Now they have new attention: allegations of intellectual property misdoing. Arbutus Biopharma (ABUS) has just challenged the Cambridge, MA-based company’s patents covering lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology. mRNA-1273 is a messenger RNA-based vaccine, and LNP technology represents the underlying delivery system.
