Inhaled Aviptadil is a New Hope for Recovery of Lung Damage due to COVID-19.

Abstract

Objective: We are still in search of new therapeutic options for COVID-19 to prevent new infections, enable fast recovery and reduce the long-lasting symptoms or sequelae. This study aimed to investigate the short- and long-term effects of inhaled aviptadil on hospitalized, adult COVID-19 patients.

Methods: A multicenter, prospective, placebo-controlled, comparative, randomized, double-blind clinical trial was conducted. Patients were randomized 1:1 to either inhaled aviptadil or placebo, in addition to the standard care. The primary endpoint is the time from hospitalization to discharge within 30 days of treatment. The secondary endpoints are clinical and radiological score improvements.

Results: The study involved 80 patients enrolled from 9 clinical centers. The mean age was 55.8 ± 18.5 years and 27 of them (33.8%) were female. The average time to discharge was 7.8±4.0 days in aviptadil group and 10±5.0 days in placebo (p = 0.049). Modified-Borg Scales were not statistically different on Day 3 (p = 0.090), but significantly lower in the aviptadil group on Day 7 (p = 0.033). The CT lung damage score was not different on Day 1 for both groups (p = 0.962); improvement on Day-28 was significantly greater in the aviptadil group (p = 0.028). The death rate was also lower in the aviptadil group (5.1%) when compared to the placebo (12.2%). There was no drop-out due to side effects.

Conclusion: Study shows that inhaled aviptadil is well-tolerated and can be used as a supplementary intervention to fasten the recovery of respiratory manifestations in hospitalized patients for COVID-19 pneumonia.