Clinical Trials Logo

Clinical Trial Summary

The goal of this clinical trial (phase 2/phase 3) is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of emetine administered orally for symptomatic Covid-19 patients in patients ages 30 years and above. Participants will be asked to: - Take Emetine 6mg orally for 10 consecutive days - Be monitored by healthcare staff or self-monitor for daily vital signs and symptoms - Undergo blood draws Researchers will compare the control group given placebo medicine to assess if emetine improved the symptoms of Covid-19.


Clinical Trial Description

More than 675 million cases of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) have occurred in this ongoing pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). More than 6.8 million people have died so far, with case count and deaths cumulating every day. Despite the scale of the damage, there exists extremely limited antiviral treatment options for Covid-19. Emetine exhibits broad spectrum antiviral activity including inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 by inhibiting viral replication and protein biosynthesis. It has been have recently shown that by lowering the standard amoebicidal dose by a factor of 10, emetine can inhibit viral replication while avoiding cardiovascular toxicity. Therefore, the investigators plan to evaluate emetine's efficacy and safety for treatment of symptomatic Covid-19 in a randomized, clinical trial. Emetine, an alkaloid extracted from ipecacuanha roots, was widely used for the treatment of amoebic dysentery. Because of cardiotoxicity (cardiac dysrhythmias), emetine was replaced by metronidazole. The toxicity was unequivocally associated with high-dose emetine (60 mg/day for 10 days to achieve a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 25 µM against Entamoeba hystolytica); however, the cardiovascular side-effects were minimal or none when emetine was used for various indications in low dose (<20 mg/day). In a screening of 3000 potential compounds against SARS-CoV-2, emetine was found to have the lowest half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 4.0e-4 µM and a half maximum cytotoxicity concentration (CC50) >10 µM in Vero E6 cells providing it a high therapeutic index. Likewise, several in-vitro studies have demonstrated very low IC50 (~0.05µM) against SARS-CoV-2 for emetine. Based on this, a lower dose of emetine (6 mg/day for 10 days) has been calculated for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2. The investigators hypothesize that low dose emetine will be effective and safe in the treatment of Covid-19. Extensive use of the drug in the past has documented that low dose usage avoids the cardiovascular side-effects there were present at higher doses (>20 mg per day); however, the safety has not been systematically documented in a clinical trial, a key objective of this study. The primary objective of the trial would be to evaluate the safety and efficacy of oral formulation of emetine for patients diagnosed with Covid-19 in a phase 2 study to be followed up by a multicenter phase 3 study based on the preliminary results. Proven beneficial, this study has the potential to save millions of lives by providing a viable, convenient option for treatment of Covid-19. Preliminary results can provide the basis for additional research to evaluate added benefit to patients by combining emetine with other drugs. Emetine has also been shown in-vitro to have activity against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), Zika, Cytomegalovirus and Ebola virus infections-this highlights a broader application for emetine beyond coronavirus infections. ;


Study Design


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT05889793
Study type Interventional
Source Johns Hopkins University
Contact Kunchok Dorjee, MBBS, PhD
Phone 4105027135
Email kdorjee1@jhmi.edu
Status Recruiting
Phase Phase 2/Phase 3
Start date May 15, 2024
Completion date September 14, 2026

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Withdrawn NCT06065033 - Exercise Interventions in Post-acute Sequelae of Covid-19 N/A
Completed NCT06267534 - Mindfulness-based Mobile Applications Program N/A
Completed NCT05047601 - A Study of a Potential Oral Treatment to Prevent COVID-19 in Adults Who Are Exposed to Household Member(s) With a Confirmed Symptomatic COVID-19 Infection Phase 2/Phase 3
Recruiting NCT04481633 - Efficacy of Pre-exposure Treatment With Hydroxy-Chloroquine on the Risk and Severity of COVID-19 Infection N/A
Recruiting NCT05323760 - Functional Capacity in Patients Post Mild COVID-19 N/A
Completed NCT04537949 - A Trial Investigating the Safety and Effects of One BNT162 Vaccine Against COVID-19 in Healthy Adults Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed NCT04612972 - Efficacy, Safety and Immunogenicity of Inactivated SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines (Vero Cell) to Prevent COVID-19 in Healthy Adult Population In Peru Healthy Adult Population In Peru Phase 3
Recruiting NCT05494424 - Cognitive Rehabilitation in Post-COVID-19 Condition N/A
Active, not recruiting NCT06039449 - A Study to Investigate the Prevention of COVID-19 withVYD222 in Adults With Immune Compromise and in Participants Aged 12 Years or Older Who Are at Risk of Exposure to SARS-CoV-2 Phase 3
Enrolling by invitation NCT05589376 - You and Me Healthy
Completed NCT05158816 - Extracorporal Membrane Oxygenation for Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19
Recruiting NCT04341506 - Non-contact ECG Sensor System for COVID19
Completed NCT04512079 - FREEDOM COVID-19 Anticoagulation Strategy Phase 4
Completed NCT04384445 - Zofin (Organicell Flow) for Patients With COVID-19 Phase 1/Phase 2
Completed NCT05975060 - A Study to Evaluate the Safety and Immunogenicity of an (Omicron Subvariant) COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose in Previously Vaccinated Participants and Unvaccinated Participants. Phase 2/Phase 3
Active, not recruiting NCT05542862 - Booster Study of SpikoGen COVID-19 Vaccine Phase 3
Terminated NCT05487040 - A Study to Measure the Amount of Study Medicine in Blood in Adult Participants With COVID-19 and Severe Kidney Disease Phase 1
Withdrawn NCT05621967 - Phonation Therapy to Improve Symptoms and Lung Physiology in Patients Referred for Pulmonary Rehabilitation N/A
Terminated NCT04498273 - COVID-19 Positive Outpatient Thrombosis Prevention in Adults Aged 40-80 Phase 3
Active, not recruiting NCT06033560 - The Effect of Non-invasive Respiratory Support on Outcome and Its Risks in Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2)-Related Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure