UAB To Host New Clinical Trial For Coronavirus Treatment

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham has been chosen for National Institutes of Health-sponsored global clinical trial to evaluate the safety of COVID-19 treatments. UAB is one of several sites being activated for the trial.

The UAB site was activated March 25 by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, meaning it can begin enrollment as part of this phase three therapeutic clinical trial immediately, according to a news release from UAB. The drug remdesivir is the first agent to be evaluated.

The study will be conducted in up to 75 sites globally. Paul Goepfert, M.D., professor of medicine in the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases, serves as the UAB principal investigator for this study.

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"Remdesivir worked well in the test tube and animal models against a close relative of COVID-19," Goepfert said. "We are very excited to have the opportunity to rapidly determine whether this drug will help treat hospitalized patients with COVID-19 here at UAB."

Goepfert added, "COVID-19 is rapidly spreading throughout the world, and the U.S. now has the third-highest number of cases in the world, with more than 50,000 patients. Although the first case of COVID-19 in Alabama was diagnosed just over a week ago, we now have more than 400 cases in our state."

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