This one seems to have come out of left field.
Eligible volunteers will participate in six in-person visits over 4 months. These visits include review of medical and medication history, answering questionnaires, blood, urine, and nasal swab specimen collection, physical exams, and contraceptive and medication counseling.
Because the IL-6 and JAK-STAT pathways were among the top upregulated pathways in participants with Long COVID in both the 2020–2021 and the 2023–2024 cohorts, we have initiated a clinical trial to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the JAK1 inhibitor abrocitinib for LC (NCT06597396).
Current therapeutic efforts are largely focused on antiviral agents to address potential residual viral replication. However, the lack of efficacy of nirmatrelvir-ritonavir in treating LC highlights the need to explore alternative therapeutic strategies. Our data suggests that the JAK-STAT and IL-6 pathways, and the IFN and metabolic pathways, are potential therapeutic targets that could be evaluated for LC.
Abstract:
Long COVID (LC) involves a spectrum of chronic symptoms after acute severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. Current hypotheses for the pathogenesis of LC include persistent virus, tissue damage, autoimmunity, endocrine insufficiency, immune dysfunction and complement activation. We performed immunological, virological, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses from a cohort of 142 individuals between 2020 and 2021, including uninfected controls (n = 35), acutely infected individuals (n = 54), convalescent controls (n = 24) and patients with LC (n = 28). The LC group was characterized by persistent immune activation and proinflammatory responses for more than 180 days after initial infection compared with convalescent controls, including upregulation of JAK-STAT, interleukin-6, complement, metabolism and T cell exhaustion pathways. Similar findings were observed in a second cohort enrolled between 2023 and 2024, including convalescent controls (n = 20) and patients with LC (n = 18). These data suggest that LC is characterized by persistent activation of chronic inflammatory pathways, suggesting new therapeutic targets and potential biomarkers of disease.
Study to Investigate the Efficacy of Abrocitinib in Adult Participants With Severe Fatigue From Post COVID Condition/Long COVID (CLEAR-LC)
Brief Summary
The primary purpose of this phase 2a study is to compare the efficacy of abrocitinib to placebo in improving severe fatigue in non-hospitalized adults with symptomatic Post-COVID Condition (PCC) (also called Long COVID). We are also interested in learning if abrocitinib is effective in improving overall health status in people suffering from severe fatigue from PCC. Eligible participants with a confirmed history of COVID19 infection who also have PCC according to the World Health Organization definition, will be randomized to receive abrocitinib at a dose of 50 mg, 100 mg, or placebo by mouth daily for 12 weeks (84 days).
Detailed Description
Eligible volunteers will participate in six in-person visits at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center over 5 months. These visits include review of medical and medication history, answering questionnaires, blood, urine, and nasal swab specimen collection, physical exams, and contraceptive and medication counseling.
Official Title
A Phase 2a Randomized, Dose Ranging, Double-Blind, 3-Arm Study to Investigate Orally Administered Abrocitinib Compared With Placebo in Non-Hospitalized Symptomatic Adult Participants With Severe Fatigue From Post COVID Condition
Thread for the study here:Piggybacking this thread upon reading a study out of Harvard, published in Nature Immunology today:
Long COVID involves activation of proinflammatory and immune exhaustion pathways
In the discussion section, the authors note:
They also conclude:
The study:
The trial:
Long COVID involves activation of proinflammatory and immune exhaustion pathways
Aid, Malika; Boero-Teyssier, Valentin; McMahan, Katherine; Dong, Rammy; Doyle, Michael; Belabbaci, Nazim; Borducchi, Erica; Collier, Ai-ris Y.; Mullington, Janet; Barouch, Dan H.
Abstract
Long COVID (LC) involves a spectrum of chronic symptoms after acute severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.
Current hypotheses for the pathogenesis of LC include persistent virus, tissue damage, autoimmunity, endocrine insufficiency, immune dysfunction and complement activation.
We performed immunological, virological, transcriptomic and proteomic analyses from a cohort of 142 individuals between 2020 and 2021, including uninfected controls (n = 35), acutely infected individuals (n = 54), convalescent controls (n = 24) and patients with LC (n = 28).
The LC group was characterized by persistent immune activation and proinflammatory responses for more than 180 days after initial infection compared with convalescent controls, including upregulation of JAK-STAT, interleukin-6, complement, metabolism and T cell exhaustion pathways.
Similar findings were observed in a second cohort enrolled between 2023 and 2024, including convalescent controls (n = 20) and patients with LC (n = 18).
These data suggest that LC is characterized by persistent activation of chronic inflammatory pathways, suggesting new therapeutic targets and potential biomarkers of disease.
Web | DOI | PDF | Nature Immunology