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Randomized Phase IIA Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Ivermectin to Obtain Negative PCR Results in Patients With Early Phase COVID-19

Randomized Phase IIA Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Ivermectin to Obtain Negative PCR Results in Patients With Early Phase COVID-19

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04635943
Acronym
SAINT-PERU
Enrollment
186
Registered
2020-11-19
Start date
2020-08-29
Completion date
2021-04-30
Last updated
2021-12-06

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Coronavirus Infection, Covid19, SARS-CoV Infection

Brief summary

SAINT-PERU is a triple-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled trial with two parallel arms to evaluate the efficacy of ivermectin in negativizing nasopharyngeal PCR in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The trial is conducted in two national hospitals at Lima-Peru.

Detailed description

SAINT is a triple-blinded, randomized placebo-controlled trial with two parallel arms to evaluate the efficacy of ivermectin in negativizing nasopharyngeal PCR in patients with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The trial is conducted in two national hospitals at Lima-Peru. The planned sample size is 186 SARS-CoV-2 PCR positive patients: 93 patients to treatment and 93 to the placebo group. Participants will be randomized to receive one dose of 300 mcg/kg ivermectin or placebo daily for three consecutive days. The epidemiologist will generate a list of correlative numbers, in randomized blocks of size 4, with the assignment to the treatment groups (a and b). The randomization list will be kept in an encrypted file accessible only to the trial statistician. This list will be handed directly to the pharmacist. Independently, the principal investigator will randomly assign the intervention (ivermectin) to one of the two groups (a or b) by tossing a coin, and will inform the pharmacist of the result of this process. The pharmacist will prepare and label the treatment vials according to the randomization list prepared by the epidemiologist and the treatment assignment given by the principal investigator. Eligible patients will be allocated in a 1:1 ratio using this randomization list. Participants are expected to remain in the trial for a period of 21 days. In the interests of public health and containing transmission of infection, follow-up visits will be conducted by the trial medical staff at the participant's home or at a hospital in case of hospitalization. Follow-up visits will assess clinical and laboratory parameters of the patients.

Interventions

DRUGIvermectin

One daily dose of NOXAL-Ivermectin Oral Solution (6 mg/mL) at 300mcg/kg for three (3) consecutive days. A weight-equivalence table will be used to determine each participant´s dose (number of oral drops/day).

DRUGPlacebo

The placebo presentation will be an oral drop solution undistinguishable from ivermectin, but without this device pharmaceutical ingredient.

Sponsors

Barcelona Institute for Global Health
CollaboratorOTHER
Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
TRIPLE (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)

Masking description

The Ivermectin presentation will be an oral drop solution in a flasks containing 5ml. The placebo presentation will also be an oral drop solution, undistinguishable from ivermectin, but without this device pharmaceutical ingredient. The pharmacist will prepare the treatment flasks (three 5ml flasks per participant), labelling them according to the randomization list in blocks of four (a, b) previously prepared by the epidemiologist, and according to the randomized treatment allocation previously notified by the principal investigator. The participant, investigator and outcomes assessor will be blinded to the study intervention.

Intervention model description

SAINT-PERU is a triple-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled trial with two parallel arms to evaluate the efficacy of one daily dose of ivermectin during three consecutive days, administered to patients with a positive PCR test for SARS-CoV-2 in a nasopharyngeal specimen, symptomatic for 96 hours or less, with non-severe COVID-19 disease at baseline, regardless of the presence of risk factors for progression to severity. The efficacy of the drug-based strategy to reduce or block transmission involves treating during early phases of infection, when viral replication is yet limited.

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to 90 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

1. Patients with COVID-19 typical symptoms (cough, fever, anosmia) present for not more than 96 hours. 2. 18 years or older. 3. No use of ivermectin prior to the study. 4. No known history of ivermectin allergy. 5. The patient can give his consent to take part in the study. 6. Not current use of CYP 3A4 or P-gp inhibitor drugs such as quinidine, amiodarone, diltiazem, spironolactone, verapamil, clarithromycin, erythromycin, itraconazole, ketoconazole, cyclosporine, tacrolimus, indinavir, ritonavir or cobicistat. Use of critical CYP3A4 substrate drugs such as warfarin.

Exclusion criteria

1. COVID-19 pneumonia * Diagnosed by the attending physician (oxygen saturation \< 95% or lung crackles) 2. Positive pregnancy test for women of childbearing age\* 3. Positive IgG against SARS-CoV-2 by rapid diagnostic test. 4. Negative SARS-CoV-2 PCR from a nasopharyngeal swab. * Women of child bearing age may participate if they use a safe contraceptive method for the entire period of the study. A woman is considered to not have childbearing capacity if she is post-menopausal (minimum of 2 years without menstruation) or has undergone surgical sterilization (at least one month before the study)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Proportion of patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR.7 days post-treatmentProportion of patients with a positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR from a nasopharyngeal swab at day 7 post-treatment

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Fever and cough progressionUp to and including day 21Proportion of patients with fever and cough at days 4, 7, 14 and 21 as well as proportion of patients progressing to severe disease or death during the trial
Seroconversion at day 21Up to and including day 21Proportion of participants with positive IgG at day 21
Proportion of drug-related adverse events7 days post treatmentProportion of drug-related adverse events
Levels of IgG, IgM and IgAUp to and including day 21
Mean viral loadBaseline and on days 4, 7, 14 and 21Change from baseline quantitative and semi-quantitative PCR in nasopharyngeal swab
Frequency SARS-CoV-2-specific CD4+ T and and CD8+ T cellsUp to and including day 7Frequency of CD4+ T and CD8+ T cells (% over total CD4+T and CD8+ T) expressing any functional marker upon in vitro stimulation of PBMC with SARS-CoV-2 peptides, measured by flow cytometry
Results from cytokine Human Magnetic 30-Plex PanelUp to and including day 21Concentration (all in pg/mL) of epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), tumour necrosis factor (TNF), interferon (IFN)-α, IFN-γ, interleukin (IL)-1RA, IL-1β, IL-2, IL-2R, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-7, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12(p40/p70), IL-13, IL-15, IL-17, IFN-γ induced protein (IP-10), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), monokine induced by IFN-γ (MIG), macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-1α, MIP-1β in plasma measured by a Luminex assay using a commercially available kit (Cytokine Human Magnetic 30-Plex Panel from ThermoFisher)
Presence of intestinal helminthsBaseline and on day 14.Proportion and parasitic load of intestinal helminths by spontaneous sedimentation method.
Frequency of innate immune cellsUp to and including day 7Frequency (% over total PBMC) of innate immune cells (myeloid and plasmacytoid dendritic cells, NK cell, classical, intermediate and pro-inflammatory macrophages) measured in cryopreserved PBMC by flow cytometry

Countries

Peru

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 23, 2026