Clinical trial underway for a medication to treat COVID-19 patients

NEW ORLEANS, La. (WVUE) - At NOLA Research Works, a clinical study is underway to find a treatment for COVID-19.

“We’re super excited because not a lot of sites have been selected for such a high profile trial like this,” said CEO Kaye Dairon.

They’re recruiting patients for a COVID study, testing antibody medicine for pharmaceutical giant, Eli Lilly. The medication is designed to stop the virus from going into a person’s cells and replicating.

“The goal is for the patient to get better more rapidly then they would without medication and so far, that’s what we’re seeing. We’ve dosed 10 people so far and 8 of them have gotten better within a day,” Dairon said.

Patients must be at least 18 years old, display only mild or moderate symptoms of COVID-19, and not have any underlying issues, to participate. Doctors first perform a rapid test to determine if a patient is positive and then samples of a person’s blood are taken.

“We want to determine what your blood looks like today? What’s the chemistry of your liver and kidneys?” said Susan Sabatier, M.D.

Dr. Sabatier says from there patients will decide if they want to continue with an IV infusion of the medication being tested.

“It’s a set amount. There are three arms that are chosen by Eli Lilly, the sponsor, to decide who gets what dose. We have no says so in it, and we do not know who gets what dose,” said Sabatier, M.D.

Dr. Sabatier says a patient could receive a placebo, or a high or low dose of the medication.

So far, she says she’s encouraged by the results with the majority of patients getting well in just 24 to 48 hours.

Dairon says there are plenty of benefits for those who participate.

“The benefit to them is free medication and care, a whole team of doctors looking at their progress, and a really good picture of their overall health, and not just their overall status with COVID,” Dairon said.

Patients participate for a 29 day period which includes plenty of visits but the majority of them can be virtual.

The clinical trial is in phase two. They have 10 patients so far, but they’re hoping to get between 40 and 50 patients. If you’re interested, you can text COVIDtest to 474747 or visit FreeRapidTest.com.

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