The health care chain is tracking more than 120 clinical studies, 60 possible vaccines.

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LAKELAND -- AdventHealth has found two reasons to have hope in the fight against the coronavirus. Two drugs named remdesivir and sarilumab.

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Dr. Steven Smith, chief scientific officer at AdventHealth, said the Central Florida health care organization is innovatively using existing drugs to treat those with the most severe COVID-19 cases. To qualify, a patient must be in intensive care and receiving supplemental oxygen.

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"We understand people are anxious," he said. "We understand that people want information and data now on how to treat the disease, and we are working as fast as we can to answer those questions."

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AdventHealth began giving remdesivir, an antiviral drug designed by the biopharmaceutical company Gilead to treat Ebola, for COVID-19 patients in mid-March, according to Smith. The medication was designed to prevent viruses from reproducing.

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"We’ve treated many patients with the medication," he said. "We’re grateful to be able to offer it to our patients and hopeful it will be an effective treatment."

To date, remdesivir has been given to AdventHealth patients.While not officially FDA- approved, Smith said the drug can be used under the Emergency Investigation New Drug Application - commonly called "compassionate care."

"These approaches provide patients with access to treatment that they might not otherwise get access to," he said.

AdventHealth also is taking part in clinical trials of sarilumab alongside other medical institutions across the country to determine its effectiveness against COVID-19. Doctors commonly prescribed the drug to people with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis to treat inflammation.

"We have hints from others’ experiences that this category of medications might be effective," Smith said.

While COVID-19 presents with respiratory symptoms, Smith said early reports out of China and Italy were very revealing about the nature of the coronavirus -- and why reducing inflammatory responses may prevent its lethal complications.

Smith said the virus is causing some patients to develop an overactive immune system. This results in a cytokine storm, or powerful chemicals released by a person’s immune system to help fight disease. If this reaction gets out of control, it can cause inflammation that damages a COVID-19 patient’s lungs, kidney and even heart, according to Smith. He said the hope is sarilumab can stop this sometimes rapid and potentially deadly inflammatory response.

"Can we save lives by turning down the immune system to the point it can still attack the virus but doesn’t attack the person’s own body," he said.

Information collected from AdventHealth’s patients will become part of the larger clinical study to determine whether the medication is effective against COVID-19.

"We don’t have enough data right now to know what it can achieve," he said. "Whether you think a drug is working or not, you have to wait for data to finish being analyzed before deciding."

Smith said that treating COVID-19 is going to require research and development for all the disease’s various stages: developing a vaccine for prevention, medication for mild, at-home patients; and a course of treatment for those seriously ill or needing intensive care.

"I don’t think there will be a single magical cure to treat COVID-19," he said.

AdventHealth is repurposing drugs against COVID-19 only at its Orlando location. Smith said the organization hopes to get permission from the FDA and drug manufacturers to expand it to other sites - such as its Lake Wales hospital.

The Central Florida health care organization has a team of researchers tracking more 60 potential vaccines and 120 clinical studies that hold promise in the fight against COVID-19.

"It appears COVID-19 will be with us for a while, it’s not just going to come and go," Smith said. "We do these studies because we want to know, you want to know, your readers want to know. What can we do to help people with the coronavirus."

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545.