Clinical Trial For Covid-19 Open For South Carolinians
There’s a new clinical trial that’s open for Covid-19 positive South Carolinians.
The trial is testing three common drugs to fight against Covid-19.
This outpatient trial is through the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Leslie Lenert, M.D. and director of the Biomedical Informatics Center at the University of South Carolina, says you don’t have to go to the doctor’s office. This is a completely remote opportunity.
The trial is called ACTIV-6. It is led by the Duke Clinical Research Institute in North Carolina, and covers many states.
Rami Zebian, M.D. is the chief medical officer of MUSC Health-Florence Division. This is a great opportunity. For example, Zebian says there are “limited treatment options that are FDA-approved” for doctors to offer to patients that are sick, but not sick enough to be in the hospital. Most patients are told to stay home, rest, drink fluids and take acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever.
This trial will help determine other available options patients can benefit from. With a lot of misinformation out there, the goal is to provide clear, safe practices and answer many questions in regards to Covid-19 treatment.
There are three drugs in the trial to help patients with a mild to moderate case.
The drugs being tested are:
- Fluticasone- an inhaler often used for asthma or pulmonary disease
- Fluvoxamine- an antidepressant in pill form
- Ivermectin- a drug used to treat parasitic infections– and has been talked about a lot for the treatment of Covid-19 in the news.
The study coordinator, Elizabeth Szwast, acknowledges most have heard about ivermectin. With this trial, it will provide a safe environment to investigate the drug’s effectiveness in reducing symptoms in Covid-19 patients.
Participants in the trial will have the option to choose which part of the study they would like to participate in. The options include being a part of all three, where they would be randomly assigned to one of the studies. Or they can choose to only participate in one particular drug study.
However, some patients will receive either the drug, or a placebo.
If accepted into the trial, the study drug and pulse oximeter will be mailed to the patient. They patient will then take the medication as directed and fill out daily surveys. Additionally, they will also take part in phone questionnaires. After 3 months, participants who have completed all requirements will receive a $100 Amazon gift card as a thank you.
If interested in being a part of the ACTIV-6 study, you can call 843-792-4675 or visit the website.
Eligibility includes:
- Must be 30 years old or older.
- Have a positive Covid-19 test within the past 10 days.
- Have at least two of these symptoms: feeling tired, trouble breathing, fever, cough, upset stomach, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches or chills, headache, sore throat, stuffy nose or new loss of taste or smell.
Here’s more on another study earlier this year using Ivermectin in Covid-19 treatment.
