UH to test drug to stop airborne transmission of coronavirus

University Hospitals announced April 2 it will lead a clinical trial that involves the administration of an investigational drug, ARMSI, to its caregivers working on the frontlines of the novel coronavirus pandemic, according to a news release.

The trial, named the ARMS-I COVID Study, is designed to assess whether the drug helps prevent airborne transmission of the coronavirus and whether it reduces the symptoms of health care providers who have tested positive for the virus.

“This trial is another example of our community and biomedical industry coming together to seek solutions that help mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak,” said Dr. Daniel I. Simon, chief clinical and scientific officer and president of UH Cleveland Medical Center. “Our UH research team has been working closely with the manufacturer, ARMS Pharmaceutical, as well as Case Western Reserve University, to get this trial quickly organized, funded and ready for roll-out.

“We are expecting to begin the trial within two weeks.”

The study will be conducted by the UH Clinical Research Center with Dr. Robert Salata, chairman of the Department of Medicine at UH Cleveland Medical Center, program director of the UH Roe Green Center for Travel Medicine and Global Health and professor of Medicine, Epidemiology and International Health at Case Western Reserve University, serving as the principal investigator, the release said.

University Hospitals will serve as the coordinating site for the trial with other Northeast Ohio health systems participating as additional sites for recruitment.

The participants

UH trial participants will include clinical staff who are directly caring for patients.

“Our health care workers risk exposure to the coronavirus every day, and it’s important to find strategies that might help them, beyond providing personal protective equipment,” Salata said. “A previous study suggested this drug might be effective as a throat spray in reducing infection.”

The ARMS-I drug previously was studied at UH in a clinical trial aimed at reducing upper respiratory infections, and ARMS Pharmaceutical currently has an Investigational New Drug application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to study the drug as a potential influenza prophylaxis.

Recognizing the unprecedented challenges faced by caregivers at health systems throughout Northeast Ohio and the critical role they will continue to play in ensuring the recovery and resilience of the community, the Cleveland Foundation has authorized $1 million in emergency funding to support a significant portion of this clinical trial from previously restricted healthrelated research grant dollars at the foundation, the release said.

“For more than a century, our mission has centered on enhancing the health and well-being of Greater Cleveland,” said Ronn Richard, president and CEO of the Cleveland Foundation. “By providing critical funding to help launch this clinical trial across multiple health systems, we are reinforcing our steadfast commitment to all of the compassionate individuals who work on the frontlines every day in service of our most vulnerable residents.

“We must do everything we can to support our medical community as we follow their inspired lead during this public health crisis.”