Clinical trial NCT04290858: Nitric Oxide Gas Inhalation Therapy for Mild/Moderate COVID19 Infection
Official title: Nitric Oxide Gas Inhalation Therapy in Spontaneous Breathing Patients With Mild/Moderate COVID19 Infection: a Randomized Clinical Trial
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: WITHDRAWN
Phase: PHASE2
Conditions: Coronavirus Infections
Pneumonia, Viral
Dyspnea
Keywords: COVID-19
Pneumonia
dyspnea
Non-invasive ventilation
Respiratory failure
Lead sponsor: Xijing Hospital
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda, Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico
First posted: 2020-03-02
Enrollment: 0
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The scientific community is in search for novel therapies that can help to face the ongoing epidemics of novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) originated in China in December 2019. At present, there are no proven interventions to prevent progression of the disease. Some preliminary data on SARS pneumonia suggest that inhaled Nitric Oxide (NO) could have beneficial effects on COVID-19 due to the genomic similarities between this two coronaviruses. In this study we will test whether inhaled NO therapy prevents progression in patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 disease.

Detailed description: To date, no targeted therapeutic treatments for the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak have been identified. Antiviral combined with adjuvant therapies are currently under investigation. The clinical spectrum of the infection is wide, ranging from mild signs of upper respiratory tract infection to severe pneumonia and death.

In the patients who progress, the time period from symptoms onset to development of dyspnea is reported to be between 5 to 10 days, and that one to severe respiratory distress syndrome from 10 to 14 days. Globally, 15 to 18% of patients deteriorates to the need of mechanical ventilation, despite the use of non-invasive ventilatory support in the earliest phases of the disease. Probability of progress to end stage disease is unpredictable, with the majority of these patients dying from multi-organ failure. Preventing progression in spontaneously breathing patients with mild to moderate disease would translate in improved morbility and mortality and in a lower use of limited healthcare resources.

In 2004, during the SARS-coronavirus (SARS-CoV) outbreak, a pilot study showed that low dose ( max 30 ppm) inhaled NO for 3 days was able to shorten the time of ventilatory support. At the same time, NO donor compound S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine increased survival rate in an in-vitro model of SARS-CoV infected eukaryotic cells.Based on the genetic similarities between the two viruses, similar effects of NO on COVID-19 can be hypothesized. While further in-vitro testing is recommended, we proposed a randomized clinical trial to test the effectiveness of inhaled NO in preventing the progression of COVID-19 related disease, when administered at an early stage.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Laboratory confirmed COVID19 infection defined with a positive RT-PCR from any specimen.
2. Hospital admission with at least one of the following:

   * fever ≥ 36.6 °C from axillary site; or ≥ 37.2°C from oral site; or ≥ 37.6°C from tympanic or rectal site.
   * Respiratory rate ≥ 24 bpm
   * cough
3. Spontaneous breathing with or without hypoxia of any degree. Gas exchange and ventilation maybe assisted by any continuous continuous airway pressure (CPAP), or any system of Non Invasive Ventilation (NIV), with Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) ≤ 10 cmH2O.
4. ≤ 8 days since onset of the symptoms

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Pregnancy, or positive pregnancy test in a predose examination
2. Open tracheostomy
3. Therapy with high flow nasal cannula
4. Clinical controindication, as deemed by the attending physician

Primary outcomes:
measure: Reduction in the incidence of intubation and mechanical ventilation
timeFrame: 28 days
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Mortality
timeFrame: 28 days
measure: Negative conversion of COVID-19 RT-PCR from upper respiratory tract
timeFrame: 7 days
measure: Time to clinical recovery
timeFrame: 28 days
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: Xijing Hospital
name: Lei Chong, MD, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
affiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital
name: Lorenzo Berra, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Chen L, Liu P, Gao H, Sun B, Chao D, Wang F, Zhu Y, Hedenstierna G, Wang CG. Inhalation of nitric oxide in the treatment of severe acute respiratory syndrome: a rescue trial in Beijing. Clin Infect Dis. 2004 Nov 15;39(10):1531-5. doi: 10.1086/425357. Epub 2004 Oct 22.
citation: Keyaerts E, Vijgen L, Chen L, Maes P, Hedenstierna G, Van Ranst M. Inhibition of SARS-coronavirus infection in vitro by S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, a nitric oxide donor compound. Int J Infect Dis. 2004 Jul;8(4):223-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2004.04.012.
citation: Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, Zhao X, Huang B, Shi W, Lu R, Niu P, Zhan F, Ma X, Wang D, Xu W, Wu G, Gao GF, Tan W; China Novel Coronavirus Investigating and Research Team. A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020 Feb 20;382(8):727-733. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2001017. Epub 2020 Jan 24.
citation: Wang D, Hu B, Hu C, Zhu F, Liu X, Zhang J, Wang B, Xiang H, Cheng Z, Xiong Y, Zhao Y, Li Y, Wang X, Peng Z. Clinical Characteristics of 138 Hospitalized Patients With 2019 Novel Coronavirus-Infected Pneumonia in Wuhan, China. JAMA. 2020 Mar 17;323(11):1061-1069. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.1585.
citation: Xu Z, Shi L, Wang Y, Zhang J, Huang L, Zhang C, Liu S, Zhao P, Liu H, Zhu L, Tai Y, Bai C, Gao T, Song J, Xia P, Dong J, Zhao J, Wang FS. Pathological findings of COVID-19 associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Apr;8(4):420-422. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30076-X. Epub 2020 Feb 18. No abstract available.