Fauci: Early-Stage COVID-19 Treatments Are Urgently Needed

Key TakeawaysDespite good news regarding the efficacy of two vaccines to prevent COVID-19, medicines to treat early stages of the virus are needed.Many drugs are in clinical trials to determine their effectiveness for early stages of the virus.Early treatment can help prevent a more dangerous form of COVID-19 and help reduce transmission rates.

Key Takeaways

Despite good news regarding the efficacy of two vaccines to prevent COVID-19, medicines to treat early stages of the virus are needed.Many drugs are in clinical trials to determine their effectiveness for early stages of the virus.Early treatment can help prevent a more dangerous form of COVID-19 and help reduce transmission rates.

Despite encouraging news on Monday regarding a Moderna vaccine candidate’s ability to prevent COVID-19, new treatments are still urgently needed for patients in early stages of the virus.

“While treatment options for patients with severe disease requiring hospitalization are now available…interventions that can be administered early during the course of infection to prevent disease progression and longer-term complications are urgently needed,” the researchers wrote.

Researchers are worried that news of effective vaccines, in spite of the fact they’re not yet available, could turn attention away from vital COVID-19 research in other areas.Barry Bloom, PhD, professor of public health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Cambridge, Massachusetts, reminded reporters in a call on Monday that the vaccines, if authorized, will be distributed in phases based on need. They may not be distributed to the general public until April or later. And a lot of spread can happen between now and then. “Younger people tend not to have serious illness, but they can, and if they get the virus, they can transmit it, and serious cases can result,” Bloom said on the call.

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Treatment for early-stage, mild disease is critical to curb this transmission. “Treating people early in the course of infection with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, would speed their recovery, reduce the likelihood that they develop severe outcomes and reduce demand on the healthcare system,” the NIAID researchers write.

Reducing severe outcomes is especially important, the researchers say, since many people have “long recoveries and develop long-lasting fatigue, mental impairment, and problems with heart and lung function.”

The good news is that research regarding early-stage therapeutics is underway. In an email to Verywell, Kim and Read discussed promising treatment developments in three categories:

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Antiviral Treatments

Immune-modulating Treatments

Read and Kim say there are many immune modulating treatments in the pipeline, but some noteworthy candidates include:

Antithrombotic Treatments

Apixiban and rivaroxaban are two examples of antithrombotics currently being evaluated to prevent the hypercoagulation/blood clotting that has been associated with some cases of COVID-19.

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What’s Next?

Kim and Read say that while there are a number of hurdles that make developing early-stage drugs challenging, the biggest one may be enrolling enough clinical trial participants. Thousands of volunteers are needed.

Patients who have been tested positive for COVID-19 within the last six days can access theclinical trials websiteto find out about ongoing trials.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.

6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kim PS, Read SW, Fauci AS.Therapy for early COVID-19: a critical need.JAMA.doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22813Food and Drug Administration.Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: FDA authorizes monoclonal antibody for treatment of COVID-19.Lenze EJ, Mattar C, Zorumski CF, et al.Fluvoxamine vs placebo and clinical deterioration in outpatients with symptomatic COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial.JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22760Yang B, Fulcher JA, Ahn J, et al.Clinical characteristics and outcomes of covid-19 patients receiving compassionate use leronlimab.Clinical Infectious Diseases. ciaa1583. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1583Guisado-Vasco P, Valderas-Ortega S, Carralón-González MM, et al. Clinical characteristics and outcomes among hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary medical center and receiving antiviral, antimalarials, glucocorticoids, or immunomodulation with tocilizumab or cyclosporine: A retrospective observational study (COQUIMA cohort).EClinicalMedicine. 100591. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100591American Society of Hematology.COVID-19 and VTE/anticoagulation: frequently asked questions.

6 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kim PS, Read SW, Fauci AS.Therapy for early COVID-19: a critical need.JAMA.doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22813Food and Drug Administration.Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: FDA authorizes monoclonal antibody for treatment of COVID-19.Lenze EJ, Mattar C, Zorumski CF, et al.Fluvoxamine vs placebo and clinical deterioration in outpatients with symptomatic COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial.JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22760Yang B, Fulcher JA, Ahn J, et al.Clinical characteristics and outcomes of covid-19 patients receiving compassionate use leronlimab.Clinical Infectious Diseases. ciaa1583. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1583Guisado-Vasco P, Valderas-Ortega S, Carralón-González MM, et al. Clinical characteristics and outcomes among hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary medical center and receiving antiviral, antimalarials, glucocorticoids, or immunomodulation with tocilizumab or cyclosporine: A retrospective observational study (COQUIMA cohort).EClinicalMedicine. 100591. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100591American Society of Hematology.COVID-19 and VTE/anticoagulation: frequently asked questions.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Kim PS, Read SW, Fauci AS.Therapy for early COVID-19: a critical need.JAMA.doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22813Food and Drug Administration.Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: FDA authorizes monoclonal antibody for treatment of COVID-19.Lenze EJ, Mattar C, Zorumski CF, et al.Fluvoxamine vs placebo and clinical deterioration in outpatients with symptomatic COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial.JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22760Yang B, Fulcher JA, Ahn J, et al.Clinical characteristics and outcomes of covid-19 patients receiving compassionate use leronlimab.Clinical Infectious Diseases. ciaa1583. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1583Guisado-Vasco P, Valderas-Ortega S, Carralón-González MM, et al. Clinical characteristics and outcomes among hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary medical center and receiving antiviral, antimalarials, glucocorticoids, or immunomodulation with tocilizumab or cyclosporine: A retrospective observational study (COQUIMA cohort).EClinicalMedicine. 100591. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100591American Society of Hematology.COVID-19 and VTE/anticoagulation: frequently asked questions.

Kim PS, Read SW, Fauci AS.Therapy for early COVID-19: a critical need.JAMA.doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22813

Food and Drug Administration.Coronavirus (COVID-19) update: FDA authorizes monoclonal antibody for treatment of COVID-19.

Lenze EJ, Mattar C, Zorumski CF, et al.Fluvoxamine vs placebo and clinical deterioration in outpatients with symptomatic COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial.JAMA. doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22760

Yang B, Fulcher JA, Ahn J, et al.Clinical characteristics and outcomes of covid-19 patients receiving compassionate use leronlimab.Clinical Infectious Diseases. ciaa1583. doi:10.1093/cid/ciaa1583

Guisado-Vasco P, Valderas-Ortega S, Carralón-González MM, et al. Clinical characteristics and outcomes among hospitalized adults with severe COVID-19 admitted to a tertiary medical center and receiving antiviral, antimalarials, glucocorticoids, or immunomodulation with tocilizumab or cyclosporine: A retrospective observational study (COQUIMA cohort).EClinicalMedicine. 100591. doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2020.100591

American Society of Hematology.COVID-19 and VTE/anticoagulation: frequently asked questions.

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