UH Hospitals Testing Drug To Protect Doctors From Coronavirus

CLEVELAND — University Hospitals (UH) is leading a new clinical trial testing whether the drug ARMS-I can prevent the airborne transmission of the new coronavirus. The trial will also test whether the drug can reduce the COVID-19 virus' symptoms. The drugs will be given to front-line medical workers.

"This trial is another example of our community and biomedical industry coming together to seek solutions that help mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak," said Dr. Daniel Simon, president, UH Cleveland Medical Center. "Our UH research team has been working closely with the manufacturer, ARMS Pharmaceutical, as well as Case Western Reserve University, to get this trial quickly organized, funded and ready for rollout. We are expecting to begin the trial within two weeks."

The study will be conducted by the UH Clinical Research Center and will include University Hospitals and other northeast Ohio health systems. The trial will include medical staff who are directly caring for patients.

Don't miss the latest updates from health and government officials in Ohio on the coronavirus. Sign up for Patch newsletters and news alerts.

The trial will be a randomized placebo-controlled crossover study. Throughout the course of the trial, all participants will get the investigational drug, even if they started with the placebo.

"Our health care workers risk exposure to the coronavirus every day, and it's important to find strategies that might help them, beyond providing personal protective equipment," said Dr. Robert Salata, who will lead the trial.

A previous study suggested this drug might be effective as a throat spray in reducing infection, Salata said. The goal of the new trial will be to quickly determine if the ARMS-I drug will provide protection for health care workers during the COVID-19 crisis.

"We will be measuring whether there is a decrease in the rate of COVID-19 infection, and also whether there is a decrease in the frequency, duration and severity of acute upper respiratory infection in caregivers who may contract the virus," Salata said.

The ARMS-I drug was previously the focus of a clinical trial at University Hospitals. Health care workers studied whether the drug reduced upper respiratory infections. In laboratory studies, the drug has been shown to kill enveloped viruses, including influenza. COVID-19 is also from an enveloped virus, University Hospitals said.

The Cleveland Foundation has authorized a $1 million in emergency funding to University Hospitals to support the clinical trial.