Cleveland Clinic Weston Conducting Clinical Trial To Help COVID-19 Patients
MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The Cleveland Clinic's Weston hospital has announced that it is are conducting a new clinical trial aimed at helping patients with COVID-19.
The patients in this trial have shown signs of pneumonia and hyper-inflammation, and are being treated with a drug called Mavrilimumab. The goal is to reduce acute respiratory failure and the need to put patients on ventilators.
"It's important to conduct clinical trials," said Dr. Carla McWilliams, Chief of Infectious Disease for Cleveland Clinic's Weston hospital. "[We have to go] through the risks and benefits of it."
Dr. McWilliams said the drug was chosen to be tested after data from Italy showed promising results. Simply put, the drug, if effective, would help calm down patients' immune systems to prevent that hyperinflammation.
To be a part of the trial, patients must be 18 or older and have a documented fever within 24-48 hours, have low blood oxygen levels, have signs of COVID-related pneumonia, and can't already be on a ventilator or have a compromised immune system.
Dr. McWilliams emphasized the importance of a clinical trial like this.
"The reason we have that evidence effective today (about Remdesivir or use of steroids) is because of trials like this," said Dr. McWilliams. "It's important to continue to conduct all this research and offer options, so we know how to treat."
The multi-center clinical trial is being conducted in collaboration with Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.
Participants will be monitored for a 28-day period. The trial started at Cleveland Clinic Weston last week and so far, Dr. McWilliams said, patients have not shown any adverse effects.