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Results from clinical trials for COVID-19 could start to roll in any day, with antimalarials coming through first, according to BioCentury’s analysis of study completion dates in public databases.



Figure: Timeline of upcoming COVID-19 trial readouts Clinical trials for COVID-19 that are expected to complete by April 2020. Timeline includes trials in Phase II-IV and other efficacy studies without a phase listed. The dates on the timeline are primary endpoint completion dates where available, otherwise the final trial end date was used. Not included are trials primarily testing traditional Chinese medicines or patient plasma. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, ChiCTR.org.cn



Almost 30 efficacy trials of repurposed agents for COVID-19 have completion dates that fall on or before April 30, according to ClinicalTrials.gov and the Chinese registry ChiCTR.org.cn.

Seven are testing antimalarial agents, four of which are at the front end of the pipeline. Two trials testing the approved antimalarial agent hydroxychloroquine were due to complete Feb. 29 and two others testing chloroquine phosphate are expected to finish March 17, according to ChiCTR.org.cn.

Antivirals make up the largest group, with eight trials due to complete by the end of April. Among them is remdesivir from Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD), which WHO has prioritized (see "Preclinical Potencies of Clinical COVID-19 Candidates").

The first two of the five trials testing remdesivir have completion dates in early April. Both are Phase III trials being run by Chinese groups. Unlike Gilead's two Phase III studies, both of the China studies are blinded and placebo-controlled, and therefore could give a better read on efficacy (see "NIH, Hubei Trials Could be More Telling than Gilead’s").

Other therapeutic categories that could yield data soon include vasodilators, corticosteroids and immune modulators. The latter includes a PD-1 mAb being tested by Southeast University.

Addressing runaway host immunity could be especially important for patients who have progressed to severe disease, where the symptoms are likely to be driven as much from damage caused by the patient's immune system as from viral load.

Three cell therapies are also on the list: two mesenchymal cell therapies and a microbiota transplant therapy.

Trials testing the anti-VEGF therapy bevacizumab and the antioxidant α lipoic acid will also complete in coming weeks.

Table: Repurposed agents for COVID-19 Before April 30, 29 trials testing repurposed agents for COVID-19 should be completed. Table includes Phase II-IV trials and other efficacy trials whose phase is unspecified. Primary endpoint completion dates are listed where available, otherwise the final trial end date is given. Trials of traditional Chinese medicines were not included. Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, ChiCTR.org.cn

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