Evaluation of anakinra in the management of patients with COVID-19 infection: A randomized clinical trial

Efficacy of additional hemoperfusion in hospitalized patients with severe to critical COVID-19 disease

The evidence supporting additional hemoperfusion (HP) with cytokine adsorbents for improving clinical outcomes in severe to critical coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients remains limited. We compared severe to critical COVID-19 patients who received additional HP with a cytokine adsorbent to matched cases receiving standard medical treatment (SMT). The primary outcome was hospital mortality. In our study, we matched 45 patients who received additional HP 1:1 with the SMT group based on key clinical parameters. The hospital mortality rates did not differ between the groups (33% vs 38%, p = 0.83). The HP group had a significantly shorter ICU stay (22 vs 32 days; p = 0.017) and reduced mechanical ventilation duration (15 vs 35 days; p < 0.001). Additionally, the incidence of pulmonary complications (20% vs 42%; p = 0.04), sepsis (38% vs 64%; p = 0.02), and disseminated intravascular coagulopathy (DIC) (13% vs 33%; p = 0.046) were significantly lower in the HP group. In conclusion, among severe to critical COVID-19 patients, additional HP with a cytokine adsorbent did not improve hospital mortality. However, it reduced ICU length of stay, mechanical ventilator days, and incidences of lung complications, sepsis, and DIC. Trial registration: TCTR20231002006. Registered 02 October 2023 (retrospectively registered).

The Potential of Anti-coronavirus Plant Secondary Metabolites in COVID-19 Drug Discovery as an Alternative to Repurposed Drugs: A Review

In early 2020, a global pandemic was announced due to the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), known to cause COVID-19. Despite worldwide efforts, there are only limited options regarding antiviral drug treatments for COVID-19. Although vaccines are now available, issues such as declining efficacy against different SARS-CoV-2 variants and the aging of vaccine-induced immunity highlight the importance of finding more antiviral drugs as a second line of defense against the disease. Drug repurposing has been used to rapidly find COVID-19 therapeutic options. Due to the lack of clinical evidence for the therapeutic benefits and certain serious side effects of repurposed antivirals, the search for an antiviral drug against SARS-CoV-2 with fewer side effects continues. In recent years, numerous studies have included antiviral chemicals from a variety of plant species. A better knowledge of the possible antiviral natural products and their mechanism against SARS-CoV-2 will help to develop stronger and more targeted direct-acting antiviral agents. The aim of the present study was to compile the current data on potential plant metabolites that can be investigated in COVID-19 drug discovery and development. This review represents a collection of plant secondary metabolites and their mode of action against SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2.

An Update on SARS-CoV-2 Clinical Trial Results-What We Can Learn for the Next Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed over 7 million lives worldwide, providing a stark reminder of the importance of pandemic preparedness. Due to the lack of approved antiviral drugs effective against coronaviruses at the start of the pandemic, the world largely relied on repurposed efforts. Here, we summarise results from randomised controlled trials to date, as well as selected in vitro data of directly acting antivirals, host-targeting antivirals, and immunomodulatory drugs. Overall, repurposing efforts evaluating directly acting antivirals targeting other viral families were largely unsuccessful, whereas several immunomodulatory drugs led to clinical improvement in hospitalised patients with severe disease. In addition, accelerated drug discovery efforts during the pandemic progressed to multiple novel directly acting antivirals with clinical efficacy, including small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. We argue that large-scale investment is required to prepare for future pandemics; both to develop an arsenal of broad-spectrum antivirals beyond coronaviruses and build worldwide clinical trial networks that can be rapidly utilised.