Volunteers age 30+ sought by UVA Health to test repurposed medications to fight COVID

UVA Health reports that it has joined a nationwide study evaluating two repurposed medications in the search for effective, safe treatments for mild-to-moderate COVID-19 and is seeking volunteers for the study.

Repurposed medications are already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of other diseases or conditions.

ACTIV-6, “The Randomized Trial to Evaluate Efficacy of Repurposed Medications,” is a nationwide double-blind study expected to enroll nearly 15,000 participants from across the U.S. A double-blind study means that neither study participants nor researchers know which medication participants are receiving as part of the trial.

Residents from throughout Virginia and across the U.S. can get more information on how to participate in the trial by going to http://www.activ6study.org or calling 833-385-1880. Volunteers can participate in the trials from their homes.

The study is now testing these repurposed medications:
• Fluvoxamine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), often prescribed for depression. Fluvoxamine was identified as a potential COVID-19 treatment based on sepsis research conducted by UVA Department of Neuroscience researcher Alban Gaultier, PhD, and former graduate student Dorian A Rosen, PhD.
• Ivermectin, used to treat parasitic infections. Study participants would receive a carefully calibrated dose of the medication formulated for humans. Ivermectin is not available at UVA Health for COVID outside of this trial.

“While we have some great new drugs for COVID-19 in outpatients, like Paxlovid and sotrovimab, supplies are limited and it’s still important to find potential new treatments,” said Patrick E.H. Jackson, MD, principal investigator for the clinical trial at UVA Health. “Because the drugs we’re studying are cheap and widely available, they could have a huge global impact if we find they’re effective for COVID treatment.”

Eligibility and Trial Participation
To be eligible, participants must be 30 years old or older, have had a positive COVID-19 test within the past 10 days, and have at least two symptoms of the illness for seven days or less. Symptoms include fatigue, difficulty breathing, fever, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, chills, headache, sore throat, nasal symptoms, and/or new loss of sense of taste or smell.

Participation involves taking the medication and keeping track of symptoms over 90 days through online surveys. Medications are shipped at no cost to participants.

The study is part of the National Institutes of Health-funded Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV) led by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.