ST. LOUIS — Saint Louis University is conducting a study for a possible treatment for COVID-19.
The trial may be conducted in up to 75 sites across the world, according to a press release.
Currently, patients with COVID-19 are treated for their symptoms, but not for the virus itself.
“We urgently need specific treatments for the novel coronavirus that is spreading in the U.S. and globally because there is no current medication for the disease,” said Sarah George, M.D., associate professor of infectious diseases at Saint Louis University. “With 30 years of experience in researching infectious diseases, SLU is ready to join the search for new treatments for COVID-19.”
People who are eligible for the study must be at least 18 years old, hospitalized at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and have laboratory-confirmed COVID-19.
The study will test the safety and effectiveness of remdesivir, an investigational intravenous anti-viral medication.
Participants will receive “investigational therapies” or a placebo when they are in the hospital. Their conditions will be assessed daily by study nurses and investigators and treated by hospital care providers, according to the release.
After their stay in the hospital, participants will go to two follow-up study visits at SLU’s Center of Vaccine Development.
The need for this research is critical in the St. Louis area as the coronavirus has spread, George said in the release.
SLU was selected to conduct research as one of nine Vaccine and Treatment Evaluation Units funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Click here for more information about the trial.
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