Did COVID Make You Lose Your Sense Of Taste, Smell? There's A New Treatment For That

PHILADELPHIA — Medical experts in Philadelphia are making strides in bringing back two senses for people who have lost them.

A team of researchers and physicians at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital developed a first-of-its-kind topical platelet-rich plasma treatment that is giving people their smell and taste back.

Otolaryngologist Dr. David Rosen is leading the team, which is helping address a key symptom of COVID-19.

Clinically known as anosmia and parosmia, the loss or distortion of smell and taste affects up to 1.5 million people in the United States.

"I’ve dedicated over two decades to helping patients recover from the loss of taste and smell," Rosen said. "It was very important to me and our team to explore less invasive options as this issue has become increasingly prevalent due to COVID-19. The results of phase I of the clinical trial have been promising and we are looking forward to phase II to further improve the treatment."

The topical treatment is minimally invasive and consists of monthly applications for a minimum of three months.

A recent phase I clinical trial of eight patients who had at least six months of smell disturbance has shown preliminary success, with 50 percent of participants experiencing clinically significant improvements in smell and taste, according to Jefferson.

While phase I only consisted of eight patients, it is the largest pilot study to date for the use of platelet-rich plasma in treatment of olfactory dysfunction and the first study to develop methods for topical delivery in human subjects. The new treatment has also been provided to dozens of additional patients independent of the phase I clinical trial with promising results.

A planned phase II study aims to exclusively look at patients who developed long term olfactory disturbance following recovery from COVID-19 infection.

Platelet-rich plasma is a common restorative therapy used to regenerate cells, heal tissue, and address an array of medical conditions from healing injured muscles and tendons to increasing hair growth and reducing the appearance of scars.

Animal studies have shown that platelet-rich plasma helps regenerate the olfactory epithelium, which may be the site affected in COVID-19-induced olfactory dysfunction.

As smell and taste are closely interrelated, improved sense of smell can help with sense of taste as well.

Until now, platelet-rich plasma has been used as a nasal injectable in several small clinical trials for smell loss. Although the results were promising, nasal injections can be uncomfortable and invasive for patients.

"Thomas Jefferson University is at the forefront of cutting-edge research to advance science and medical treatments around the globe," said Dr. Mark L. Tykocinski, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Thomas Jefferson University. "I thank this team of researchers and patient volunteers who are helping to create this important breakthrough and hopefully improve the quality-of-life for countless people experiencing this unfortunate long-COVID symptom."