Ivermectin and Nitazoxanide Combination Therapy for COVID-19

Summary

Research Background and Rationale In December 2019, a new infectious respiratory disease emerged in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. An initial cluster of infections was linked to Huanan seafood market, potentially due to animal contact. Subsequently, human-to-human transmission occurred and the disease, now termed coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) rapidly spread within China and all over the world. A novel coronavirus, SARS-coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is closely related to SARS-CoV, was detected in patients and is believed to be the etiologic agent of the new lung disease. The causative agent of the current COVID-19 pandemic, SARS-CoV-2, is a single stranded positive sense RNA virus that is closely related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV).

Timeline

Start

2020-05

Primary completion

2020-10

Completion

2020-12

Publications

• Background Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, Zhang L, Fan G, Xu J, Gu X, Cheng Z, Yu T, Xia J, Wei Y, Wu W, Xie X, Yin W, Li H, Liu M, Xiao Y, Gao H, Guo L, Xie J, Wang G, Jiang R, Gao Z, Jin Q, Wang J, Cao B. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020 Feb 15;395(10223):497-506. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5. Epub 2020 Jan 24.
• Background Wang C, Horby PW, Hayden FG, Gao GF. A novel coronavirus outbreak of global health concern. Lancet. 2020 Feb 15;395(10223):470-473. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30185-9. Epub 2020 Jan 24. No abstract available.
• Background Zhu N, Zhang D, Wang W, Li X, Yang B, Song J, Zhao X, Huang B, Shi W, Lu R, Niu P, Zhan F, Ma X, Wang D, Xu W, Wu G, Gao GF, Tan W; China Novel Coronavirus Investigating and Research Team. A Novel Coronavirus from Patients with Pneumonia in China, 2019. N Engl J Med. 2020 Feb 20;382(8):727-733. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2001017. Epub 2020 Jan 24.
• Background Caly L, Druce JD, Catton MG, Jans DA, Wagstaff KM. The FDA-approved drug ivermectin inhibits the replication of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. Antiviral Res. 2020 Jun;178:104787. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104787. Epub 2020 Apr 3.
• Background Wagstaff KM, Rawlinson SM, Hearps AC, Jans DA. An AlphaScreen(R)-based assay for high-throughput screening for specific inhibitors of nuclear import. J Biomol Screen. 2011 Feb;16(2):192-200. doi: 10.1177/1087057110390360.
• Background Gotz V, Magar L, Dornfeld D, Giese S, Pohlmann A, Hoper D, Kong BW, Jans DA, Beer M, Haller O, Schwemmle M. Influenza A viruses escape from MxA restriction at the expense of efficient nuclear vRNP import. Sci Rep. 2016 Mar 18;6:23138. doi: 10.1038/srep23138.
• Background Jans DA, Martin AJ, Wagstaff KM. Inhibitors of nuclear transport. Curr Opin Cell Biol. 2019 Jun;58:50-60. doi: 10.1016/j.ceb.2019.01.001. Epub 2019 Feb 28.
• Background Lv C, Liu W, Wang B, Dang R, Qiu L, Ren J, Yan C, Yang Z, Wang X. Ivermectin inhibits DNA polymerase UL42 of pseudorabies virus entrance into the nucleus and proliferation of the virus in vitro and vivo. Antiviral Res. 2018 Nov;159:55-62. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2018.09.010. Epub 2018 Sep 26.
• Background Wulan WN, Heydet D, Walker EJ, Gahan ME, Ghildyal R. Nucleocytoplasmic transport of nucleocapsid proteins of enveloped RNA viruses. Front Microbiol. 2015 Jun 2;6:553. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2015.00553. eCollection 2015.
• Background Wurm T, Chen H, Hodgson T, Britton P, Brooks G, Hiscox JA. Localization to the nucleolus is a common feature of coronavirus nucleoproteins, and the protein may disrupt host cell division. J Virol. 2001 Oct;75(19):9345-56. doi: 10.1128/JVI.75.19.9345-9356.2001.
• Background Frieman M, Yount B, Heise M, Kopecky-Bromberg SA, Palese P, Baric RS. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus ORF6 antagonizes STAT1 function by sequestering nuclear import factors on the rough endoplasmic reticulum/Golgi membrane. J Virol. 2007 Sep;81(18):9812-24. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01012-07. Epub 2007 Jun 27.
• Background Navarro M, Camprubi D, Requena-Mendez A, Buonfrate D, Giorli G, Kamgno J, Gardon J, Boussinesq M, Munoz J, Krolewiecki A. Safety of high-dose ivermectin: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2020 Apr 1;75(4):827-834. doi: 10.1093/jac/dkz524.
• Background Rossignol JF. Nitazoxanide: a first-in-class broad-spectrum antiviral agent. Antiviral Res. 2014 Oct;110:94-103. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2014.07.014. Epub 2014 Aug 7.
• Background Hong SK, Kim HJ, Song CS, Choi IS, Lee JB, Park SY. Nitazoxanide suppresses IL-6 production in LPS-stimulated mouse macrophages and TG-injected mice. Int Immunopharmacol. 2012 May;13(1):23-7. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2012.03.002. Epub 2012 Mar 17.
• Background Chen L, Xiong J, Bao L, Shi Y. Convalescent plasma as a potential therapy for COVID-19. Lancet Infect Dis. 2020 Apr;20(4):398-400. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(20)30141-9. Epub 2020 Feb 27. No abstract available.
• Background Lu H, Stratton CW, Tang YW. Outbreak of pneumonia of unknown etiology in Wuhan, China: The mystery and the miracle. J Med Virol. 2020 Apr;92(4):401-402. doi: 10.1002/jmv.25678. Epub 2020 Feb 12. No abstract available.

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