Reducing COVID-19 Related Hospital Admission in Elderly by BCG Vaccination

Summary

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine not only protects against tuberculosis, but has also been shown to induce protection against various infections with a viral aetiology, leading to significant reductions in morbidity and mortality. We hypothesize that BCG vaccination might be a potent preventive measure against SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or may reduce disease severity in elderly people, who are known to be at increased risk of illness and death from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Therefore, we will in this placebo-controlled adaptive multi-centre randomized controlled trial evaluate the ability of BCG to reduce hospital admission and its efficacy to improve the clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infection in elderly people((≥ 60 years of age).

Timeline

Start

2020-04-16

Primary completion

2021-05

Completion

2021-05

Publications

• Fohse K, Taks EJM, Moorlag SJCFM, Bonten MJM, van Crevel R, Ten Oever J, van Werkhoven CH, Netea MG, van de Maat JS, Hoogerwerf JJ. The impact of circadian rhythm on Bacillus Calmette-Guerin vaccination effects on SARS-CoV-2 infections. Front Immunol. 2023 Feb 16;14:980711. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.980711. eCollection 2023.
• Moorlag SJCFM, Taks E, Ten Doesschate T, van der Vaart TW, Janssen AB, Muller L, Ostermann P, Dijkstra H, Lemmers H, Simonetti E, Mazur M, Schaal H, Ter Heine R, van de Veerdonk FL, Bleeker-Rovers CP, van Crevel R, Ten Oever J, de Jonge MI, Bonten MJ, van Werkhoven CH, Netea MG. Efficacy of BCG Vaccination Against Respiratory Tract Infections in Older Adults During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic. Clin Infect Dis. 2022 Aug 24;75(1):e938-e946. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciac182.

Drugs

Indications