Coronavirus Clinical Trials 2022
Browse 36 Coronavirus Medical Studies Across 166 Cities
12 Phase 3 Trial · 258 Coronavirus Clinics
What Are Coronavirus Clinical Trials?
Coronaviruses are a broad collection of RNA viruses that manifest as respiratory and intestinal illnesses. Seven coronaviruses have been identified in humans, with four known to cause mild respiratory illnesses.
Since first being discovered in 1965, human coronaviruses have been responsible for several epidemics, including the most recent SARS-Cov-2 pandemic in 2019 and the MERS epidemic in 2012. Using serological methods, researchers have made enormous strides in understanding coronaviruses, including how they look, in which climates they thrive, and the population percentage affected by these viruses.
Why Is Coronavirus Being Studied Through Clinical Trials?
Coronaviruses are responsible for thirty-five percent of viral respiratory infections during epidemics, and fifteen percent of cold in the adult population. Although the symptoms of mild coronavirus infections can be managed with supportive care, these infections can have severe, lasting effects in immune-compromised patients.
Furthermore, coronaviruses contain genetic material that allows them to mutate their pathogenic mechanisms and infect new species. As witnessed in past coronavirus epidemics, these mutations can cause devastating, widespread illnesses that are challenging to treat. Therefore, clinical trials are essential to understanding and managing coronavirus infections.
What Are The Types of Treatments Available For Coronavirus?
Mild coronavirus infections seldom require hospitalization. Instead, respiratory and gastrointestinal manifestations are managed symptomatically. However, there are several more intensive management approaches in hospitalized COVID patients.
Hospitalized coronavirus patients frequently received oxygen therapy and corticosteroids to manage hypoxemia. Furthermore, broad-spectrum antibiotics treat opportunistic fungal and bacterial infections.
Clinical trials have discovered several drug classes effective at managing coronavirus infections. There have been more than two hundred trials about the efficacy of antivirals such as chloroquine and azithromycin in immunomodulation and the prevention of viral replication. Alternative treatment strategies include synthetic monoclonal antibodies, such as Bebtelovimab, and convalescent plasma treatments.
What Are Some Recent Breakthrough Clinical Trials For Coronavirus?
There have been several fascinating discoveries made through coronavirus clinical trials, including the following:
2021: Predicting the success of vaccines without large trials: Researchers at the US National Institute of Infectious Diseases developed a method of deciphering which immune responses to target in the Moderna SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Researchers could determine which antibodies recognized the virus’s spike proteins by inoculating animals with a range of vaccine doses. Ultimately, this assisted in accelerating clinical trial research.
2021: Asthma medicine in managing the respiratory symptoms of coronavirus infections: Researchers at the University of Oxford performed a clinical trial to determine the efficacy of budesonide in geriatric and compromised patients. They found that inhaled budesonide shortened the duration of illness.
Who Are Some Of The Key Institutions Conducting Coronavirus Clinical Trial Research?
The University of Hong Kong
The University of Hong Kong is the global leader in coronavirus research. Researchers at The University of Hong Kong initiated a long-term study about the lasting effects of coronavirus infections. The outcome of this study is essential to managing the secondary harm caused by widespread infection during the pandemic.
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has been instrumental in clinical trials to determine the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines, the effects of infection on various patient demographics, and the viral transmission trends.
About The Author
Michael Gill holds a Bachelors of Science in Integrated Science and Mathematics from McMaster University. During his degree he devoted considerable time modeling the pharmacodynamics of promising drug candidates. Since then, he has leveraged this knowledge of the investigational new drug ecosystem to help his father navigate clinical trials for multiple myeloma, an experience which prompted him to co-found Power Life Sciences: a company that helps patients access randomized controlled trials.