North Texas among 16 locations chosen for new clinical trial to test promising COVID-19 treatment
DALLAS - The Dallas region is one of 16 locations in the world chosen for a new large-scale clinical trial to test a promising COVID-19 treatment.
And this trial hopes to help prevent people diagnosed with the coronavirus from needing to go to the hospital.
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One thing that makes this trial unique is that participants don't ever need leave their homes to potentially help find a cure for COVID-19.
“We believe we have a study with an inexpensive, safe, orally administered drug that's been around for 2,000 years,” said Dr. Jean-Claude Tardif, who is a cardiologist at the Montreal Heart Institute.
And he believes a drug recently shown to help heart attack survivors could help prevent people from being hospitalized or dying from the coronavirus.
“Testing important hypothesis that reducing inflammation before it sets in in patients with COVID-19 will reduce the need for hospitalization,” Dr. Tardif said.
The drug, called colchicine, has been used for thousands of years to treat gout, which is painful inflammation of the big toe.
“Clever people realized when their big toe was inflamed, didn't know it was called gout. When they were chewing on this flower, the inflammation went away,” Dr. Tardif explained.
He believes it will be helpful for people with COVID-19 because the main reason people are hospitalized is due to inflammation.
“It is patients’ own white blood cells that are often doing the damage that lead to hospitalization,” he explained.
A healthcare worker organizes Covid-19 tests that were just administered at United Memorial Medical Center Covid-19 testing site in Houston, Texas Thursday, June 25, 2020. (Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP /AFP via Getty Images)
The study is being conducted in 11 regions in the United States, as well as in three other countries.
Dr. Mark Casanova, president of the Dallas County Medical Society, said Dallas is a prime location for COVID-19 trials.
“Researchers will look for areas with high concentration of cases, people, and healthcare infrastructure,” he said.
Dr. Tardif said that if enough people participate in the trial, the inexpensive treatment could be available for the masses in a short time.
“We all have a responsibility to try find cures,” Dr. Tardif added
To participate, you must be recently diagnosed with COVID-19, and over the age of 40.
The medication or a placebo will be delivered to your home.
The trial last 30 days.
CLICK HERE to find out more about the trial.