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Sargramostim Use in COVID-19 to Recover Patient Health

A Randomized Phase 2b Trial Evaluating Clinical Outcomes of Inhaled Sargramostim in High-risk Patients With Mild-moderate COVID-19

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04707664
Acronym
SCOPE
Enrollment
600
Registered
2021-01-13
Start date
2021-04-27
Completion date
2022-01-31
Last updated
2023-02-06

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

Conditions

Covid19, SARS-CoV Infection

Keywords

COVID-19, SARS-CoV2, sargramostim, Leukine, (recombinant human) GM-CSF, immune modulator, SCOPE

Brief summary

The purpose of this research is to understand if the study drug, also called sargramostim or Leukine®, can help prevent the worsening of COVID-19 when the study drug is inhaled. This study will also help researchers understand if inhaled sargramostim can help prevent visits to the emergency room or hospitalization, or death.

Detailed description

This Phase 2b, multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind study will randomize approximately 500 adult patients who are symptomatic with mild or moderate COVID-19 (as defined in the FDA Guidance Document: Covid-19: Developing Drugs and Biological Products for Treatment or Prevention, May 2020) who are at high risk for progression to more severe disease. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to inhaled sargramostim plus standard of care (SOC) or placebo plus SOC. Enrollment of patients who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination regimen or participated in a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial will be capped at approximately 100 patients. All patients will be randomized to receive either 250 mcg of sargramostim or equivalent volume of placebo diluent. Treatment will be administered once daily for 5 days delivered via a vibrating mesh nebulizer. Patients will be followed for up to 60 days after start of treatment. Sargramostim (Leukine) is a formulation of Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF), which is a critical cytokine for healthy pulmonary function. Detailed studies have shown that GM-CSF is necessary for alveolar macrophage (AM) maturation and maintenance. Although GM-CSF was discovered as a myelopoietic growth factor, it has diverse additional effects that both promote differentiation of myeloid precursors into neutrophils, monocytes, and dendritic cells and control function of mature myeloid cells. GM-CSF is also known to reverse immunoparalysis seen in sepsis, resulting in beneficial outcomes. In addition, GM-CSF prevents bacteremia in post influenza bacterial pneumonia through locally mediated improved lung antibacterial resistance and increased reactive oxygen species production by AMs. Pulmonary delivery of this GM-CSF has potential to reduce morbidity and mortality due to viral pneumonias, potentially including COVID-19.

Interventions

DRUGSargramostim

All patients randomized to the sargramostim treatment arm will be treated with 250 mcg inhaled sargramostim administered via a vibrating mesh nebulizer once daily for 5 days.

DRUGPlacebo

All patients in the control arm will receive an equivalent volume of inhaled placebo diluent administered via a vibrating mesh nebulizer once daily for 5 days.

Sponsors

United States Department of Defense
CollaboratorFED
Partner Therapeutics, Inc.
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
DOUBLE (Subject, Investigator)

Masking description

Double blind

Intervention model description

This Phase 2b, multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind study will randomize approximately 500 adult patients who are symptomatic with mild or moderate COVID-19 (as defined in the FDA Guidance Document: Covid-19: Developing Drugs and Biological Products for Treatment or Prevention, May 2020) who are at high risk for progression to more severe disease. Patients will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to inhaled sargramostim plus standard of care (SOC) or placebo plus SOC. Enrollment of patients who have completed a COVID-19 vaccination regimen or participated in a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial will be capped at approximately 100 patients.

Eligibility

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

Inclusion criteria

1. Patients with a positive laboratory diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection by an antigen or a molecular test ≤5 days prior to randomization. The test should have been authorized by the relevant regulatory authority. 2. Have one or more of the following mild or moderate COVID-19 symptoms for ≤5 days prior to randomization: 1. Fever or chills 2. New onset or worsening cough 3. Sore throat 4. Malaise or fatigue 5. Headache 6. Muscle pain (myalgias) or body aches 7. Gastrointestinal symptoms (e.g., nausea, vomiting, diarrhea) 8. New onset or worsening shortness of breath or difficulty breathing 9. Nasal congestion or runny nose 10. New loss of taste (ageusia) and/or smell (anosmia). Note: any of these symptoms (ageusia, anosmia) alone or in combination cannot be used as the SOLE qualifying symptoms for enrollment. 3. At higher risk for progression to more severe COVID-19 1. Age ≥ 60 years 2. Age 18-59 years with a clinically stable medical history of at least 1 or more of the following conditions that could lead to severe COVID-19: * Chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis * Obesity with BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 * Cardiovascular disease * Sickle cell disease or thalassemia * Diabetes mellitus being managed with concomitant medications * Hypertension being managed with concomitant medications * Chronic kidney disease 4. Oxygen saturation by pulse oximeter \> 93% on room air. Note: at altitudes of \>4000 feet above sea level, oxygen saturation by pulse oximeter \> 91% on room air is permitted 5. Negative pregnancy test (if woman of childbearing potential) 6. Females of childbearing potential and males with female partners of childbearing potential must agree to use acceptable contraceptive methods from screening to Day 28 7. The patient (or legally authorized decision maker) must give informed consent

Exclusion criteria

1. Hospitalized patients 2. Patients who have received or are receiving other treatments that are not approved/authorized by the relevant regulatory authority for the treatment of patients with mild or moderate COVID-19 in an outpatient setting 3. Patients enrolled in interventional clinical trials for other experimental therapies 4. Patients on chronic oxygen supplementation due to cardiopulmonary or other conditions 5. Patients with unstable comorbid conditions (e.g., decompensated congestive heart failure, COPD with exacerbation, current angina pectoris, uncontrolled diabetes mellitus, uncontrolled hypertension, uncontrolled asthma) 6. Patients with severe pulmonary comorbid conditions, including systemic steroid-dependent asthma, systemic steroid-dependent COPD, oxygen-dependent COPD, lung transplant, or cystic fibrosis 7. Patients who have received highly immunosuppressive therapy (to include systemic corticosteroids) or anti-cancer combination chemotherapy within 24 hours prior to first dose of study drug 8. Patients with known or suspected intolerance or hypersensitivity to sargramostim, or any component of the product 9. Patients who have previously experienced severe and unexplained side effects during aerosol delivery of any kind of medical product 10. Pregnant or breastfeeding females 11. Patients who, in the opinion of the Investigator, will not be able to comply with all the study procedures and visits as outlined in the schedule of events, including follow-up

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Number of Participants With an Emergency Room Visit or Hospitalization, or Death by Day 2828 daysPercentage of patients who experience any emergency room visit or hospitalization, or death

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Disease Progression Based on NIAID ScoreDay 28 and Day 60Proportion of patients with any progression of disease as determined by a ≥ 2-point increase from baseline in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Ordinal Scale up to Day 28, and Day 60. The NIAID Ordinal Scale is a 1-8 scale and is an assessment of clinical status on a given study day. A score of 1 indicates the patient is not hospitalized and has no limitations on activities. A score of 8 indicates the patient has died.
Time to Disease Progression Based on NIAID ScoreDay 28 and Day 60Time to progression of disease as determined by a ≥ 2-point increase in the NIAID ordinal scale up to Day 28, and Day 60. The NIAID ordinal scale is a 1-8 scale and is an assessment of clinical status on a given study day. A score of 1 indicates the patient is not hospitalized and has no limitations on activities. A score of 8 indicates the patient has died.
Change From Baseline in Overall Symptom ScoresDay 7, 14, and 28Change from baseline in overall symptom score as measured by the Symptom Score Questionnaire on Day 7, Day 14 and Day 28. The overall symptom score is the sum of 14 individual symptom scores from Symptom Score Questionnaire. Individual symptom scores correspond to the following responses: None = 0, Mild = 1, Moderate = 2, Severe = 3; None = 0, 1-2 times = 1, 3-4 times = 2, 5 or more times = 3; Same as usual = 0, Less than usual = 1, No sense = 2. The lowest score could be 0, and the highest score could be 42. Patients with higher scores have more severe symptoms from COVID-19.
Number of Participants With Adverse Events60 daysAdverse events up to Day 60

Countries

Argentina, United States

Participant flow

Participants by arm

ArmCount
Sargramostim Arm
Day 1 - 5: Sargramostim treatment in addition to standard of care for COVID-19 Sargramostim: All patients randomized to the sargramostim treatment arm will be treated with 250 mcg inhaled sargramostim administered via a vibrating mesh nebulizer once daily for 5 days.
301
Placebo Arm
Day 1 - 5: Placebo treatment in addition to standard of care for COVID-19 Placebo: All patients in the control arm will receive an equivalent volume of inhaled placebo diluent administered via a vibrating mesh nebulizer once daily for 5 days.
299
Total600

Withdrawals & dropouts

PeriodReasonFG000FG001
Overall StudyAdverse Event20
Overall StudyDeath12
Overall StudyLost to Follow-up1113
Overall StudyNot treated20
Overall StudyWithdrawal by Subject1321

Baseline characteristics

CharacteristicTotalSargramostim ArmPlacebo Arm
Age, Continuous43.3 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.86
43.1 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 15.38
43.5 years
STANDARD_DEVIATION 14.34
Body mass index32.5 kg/m^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.08
32.3 kg/m^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.15
32.6 kg/m^2
STANDARD_DEVIATION 6.03
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Hispanic or Latino
418 Participants207 Participants211 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Not Hispanic or Latino
180 Participants93 Participants87 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
2 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
American Indian or Alaska Native
3 Participants1 Participants2 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Asian
5 Participants1 Participants4 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Black or African American
70 Participants41 Participants29 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
More than one race
6 Participants4 Participants2 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
2 Participants1 Participants1 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
Unknown or Not Reported
4 Participants1 Participants3 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB)
White
510 Participants252 Participants258 Participants
Region of Enrollment
United States
600 participants301 participants299 participants
Sex/Gender, Customized
Female
325 Participants165 Participants160 Participants
Sex/Gender, Customized
Male
274 Participants136 Participants138 Participants
Sex/Gender, Customized
Unknown
1 Participants0 Participants1 Participants

Adverse events

Event typeEG000
affected / at risk
EG001
affected / at risk
deaths
Total, all-cause mortality
1 / 2972 / 290
other
Total, other adverse events
46 / 29756 / 290
serious
Total, serious adverse events
13 / 29711 / 290

Outcome results

Primary

Number of Participants With an Emergency Room Visit or Hospitalization, or Death by Day 28

Percentage of patients who experience any emergency room visit or hospitalization, or death

Time frame: 28 days

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Sargramostim ArmNumber of Participants With an Emergency Room Visit or Hospitalization, or Death by Day 2821 Participants
Placebo ArmNumber of Participants With an Emergency Room Visit or Hospitalization, or Death by Day 2816 Participants
Secondary

Change From Baseline in Overall Symptom Scores

Change from baseline in overall symptom score as measured by the Symptom Score Questionnaire on Day 7, Day 14 and Day 28. The overall symptom score is the sum of 14 individual symptom scores from Symptom Score Questionnaire. Individual symptom scores correspond to the following responses: None = 0, Mild = 1, Moderate = 2, Severe = 3; None = 0, 1-2 times = 1, 3-4 times = 2, 5 or more times = 3; Same as usual = 0, Less than usual = 1, No sense = 2. The lowest score could be 0, and the highest score could be 42. Patients with higher scores have more severe symptoms from COVID-19.

Time frame: Day 7, 14, and 28

Population: The Full Analysis Set was used

ArmMeasureGroupValue (MEAN)Dispersion
Sargramostim ArmChange From Baseline in Overall Symptom ScoresDay 7-7.7 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.02
Sargramostim ArmChange From Baseline in Overall Symptom ScoresDay 14-11.7 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 6.62
Sargramostim ArmChange From Baseline in Overall Symptom ScoresDay 28-13.8 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 6.69
Placebo ArmChange From Baseline in Overall Symptom ScoresDay 7-6.7 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.33
Placebo ArmChange From Baseline in Overall Symptom ScoresDay 14-10.6 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.35
Placebo ArmChange From Baseline in Overall Symptom ScoresDay 28-13.3 score on a scaleStandard Deviation 7.19
Secondary

Disease Progression Based on NIAID Score

Proportion of patients with any progression of disease as determined by a ≥ 2-point increase from baseline in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) Ordinal Scale up to Day 28, and Day 60. The NIAID Ordinal Scale is a 1-8 scale and is an assessment of clinical status on a given study day. A score of 1 indicates the patient is not hospitalized and has no limitations on activities. A score of 8 indicates the patient has died.

Time frame: Day 28 and Day 60

Population: The Full Analysis Set was used for analysis

ArmMeasureCategoryValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Sargramostim ArmDisease Progression Based on NIAID ScoreBy Day 2814 Participants
Sargramostim ArmDisease Progression Based on NIAID ScoreDay 29-600 Participants
Sargramostim ArmDisease Progression Based on NIAID ScoreNo COVID-19 progression287 Participants
Placebo ArmDisease Progression Based on NIAID ScoreBy Day 2814 Participants
Placebo ArmDisease Progression Based on NIAID ScoreDay 29-600 Participants
Placebo ArmDisease Progression Based on NIAID ScoreNo COVID-19 progression285 Participants
Secondary

Number of Participants With Adverse Events

Adverse events up to Day 60

Time frame: 60 days

Population: Safety population

ArmMeasureValue (COUNT_OF_PARTICIPANTS)
Sargramostim ArmNumber of Participants With Adverse Events59 Participants
Placebo ArmNumber of Participants With Adverse Events67 Participants
Secondary

Time to Disease Progression Based on NIAID Score

Time to progression of disease as determined by a ≥ 2-point increase in the NIAID ordinal scale up to Day 28, and Day 60. The NIAID ordinal scale is a 1-8 scale and is an assessment of clinical status on a given study day. A score of 1 indicates the patient is not hospitalized and has no limitations on activities. A score of 8 indicates the patient has died.

Time frame: Day 28 and Day 60

Population: Full Analysis Set

ArmMeasureValue (MEDIAN)
Sargramostim ArmTime to Disease Progression Based on NIAID ScoreNA Days
Placebo ArmTime to Disease Progression Based on NIAID ScoreNA Days

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026