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COVID-19Phase 3BCG-CORONANCT04328441

Reducing Health Care Workers Absenteeism in Covid-19 Pandemic Through BCG Vaccine

A Phase 3 study testing BCG Vaccine in people with COVID-19, run by UMC Utrecht at 9 sites in Netherlands.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Rationale: Covid-19 spreads rapidly throughout the world. A large epidemic in the Netherlands would seriously challenge the available hospital capacity, and this would be augmented by absenteeism of healthcare workers (HCW). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
COVID-19
What is being tested?
BCG Vaccine
Type of treatment
Vaccines
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
1,511 participants
Where
9 sitesNetherlands
Study dates
25 Mar 2020to 31 Mar 2021
Phase
Phase 3
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Adult (≥18 years)
  • Male or female
  • Hospital personnel (expected to) taking care for patients with SARS CoV-2 infection

Who cannot join

  • Known allergy to (components of) the BCG vaccine or serious adverse events to prior BCG administration
  • Known active or latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis or with another mycobacterial species. A history with- or a suspicion of M. tuberculosis infection.
  • Fever (>38 C) within the past 24 hours
  • Pregnancy
  • Suspicion of active viral or bacterial infection
  • Vaccination in the past 4 weeks or expected vaccination during the study period, independent of the type of vaccination.
Show all 12Show fewer
  • Severely immunocompromised subjects. This exclusion category comprises: a) subjects with known infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1); b) neutropenic subjects with less than 500 neutrophils/mm3; c) subjects with solid organ transplantation; d) subjects with bone marrow transplantation; e) subjects under chemotherapy; f) subjects with primary immunodeficiency; g) severe lymphopenia with less than 400 lymphocytes/mm3; h) treatment with any anti-cytokine therapies. i) treatment with oral or intravenous steroids defined as daily doses of 10mg prednisone or equivalent for longer than 3 months, or probable use of oral or intravenous steroids in the following four weeks
  • Active solid or non-solid malignancy or lymphoma within the prior two years
  • Direct involvement in the design or the execution of the BCG-CORONA study
  • Expected absence from work of ≥4 of the following 12 weeks due to any reason (holidays, maternity leave, retirement, planned surgery etc)
  • Employed to the hospital < 22 hours per week
  • Not in possession of a smartphone

Trial locations and contacts

9 sites in 1 country.

9 sites in 1 country

Netherlands9 sites
  • Jeroen Bosch ziekenhuis

    's-Hertogenbosch, North Brabant

  • Noordwest Ziekenhuisgroep locatie Alkmaar

    Alkmaar, North Holland

  • Leiden University Medical Center

    Leiden, South Holland

  • Canisius Wilhelmina Ziekenhuis

    Nijmegen, Gelderland

  • Radboud UMC

    Nijmegen, Gelderland

  • Sint Maartenskliniek

    Nijmegen, Gelderland

  • Erasmus Medical Center

    Rotterdam, South Holland

  • Hagaziekenhuis

    The Hague, South Holland

  • University Medical Center Utrecht

    Utrecht

Other trials in Netherlands

About this study

Official title: Reducing Health Care Workers Absenteeism in COVID-19 Pandemic by Enhanced Trained Immune Responses Through Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Vaccination, a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Rationale: Covid-19 spreads rapidly throughout the world. A large epidemic in the Netherlands would seriously challenge the available hospital capacity, and this would be augmented by absenteeism of healthcare workers (HCW). Strategies to prevent absenteeism of HCW are, therefore, desperately needed to safeguard continuous patient care. Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) is a vaccine against tuberculosis, with protective non-specific effects against other respiratory tract infections in in vitro and in vivo studies, and reported significant reductions in morbidity and mortality. The hypothesis is that BCG vaccination can reduce HCW absenteeism during the epidemic phase of Covid-19.

Objective: Primary objective: To reduce absenteeism among HCW with direct patient contacts during the epidemic phase of Covid-19. Secondary objective: To reduce hospital admission, ICU admission or death in HCW with direct patient contacts during the epidemic phase of Covid-19.

Read more

Study design: A placebo-controlled adaptive multi-centre randomized controlled trial.

Study population: HCW with direct patient contacts among which nurses and physicians working at emergency rooms and wards where Covid-19-infected patients are treated.

Intervention: Participants will be randomized between intracutaneous administration of BCG vaccine or placebo in a 1:1 ratio.

Main study parameters/endpoints: Primary endpoint: number of days of (unplanned) absenteeism for any reason. Secondary endpoints include the number of days of (unplanned) absenteeism because of documented Covid-19 infection, and the cumulative incidence of hospital admission, Intensive Care Admission, and death.

Nature and extent of the burden and risks associated with participation, benefit and group relatedness: Based on previous experience and randomized controlled trials in adult and elderly individuals, the risks of BCG vaccination are considered low. The objective of this trial is to evaluate the beneficial effects of BCG vaccination through a lower work absenteeism rate of HCW and/or a mitigated clinical course of Covid-19 infection. The primary endpoint and the adaptive design with frequent interim analyses facilitate maximum efficiency of the trial, so that results can inform policy making during the ongoing epidemic.

Read the detailed description

Since the beginning of 2020, SARS-CoV-2 spread rapidly throughout China and the rest of the world, with on 27 February 2020 the first detected case in the Netherlands.

According to the WHO, Health-care workers (HCW) face an elevated risk of exposure to - and infection of Covid-19.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) was developed as a vaccine against tuberculosis, but studies have shown its ability to induce potent protection against other infectious diseases: the so called non-specific effects (NSEs). A favorable in vitro or in vivo effect has been observed in studies for distinct viral pathogens, e.g. respiratory syncytial virus, yellow fever, herpes simplex virus; human papilloma virus.

Based on the capacity of BCG to reduce the incidence of respiratory tract infections in children, to exert antiviral effects in experimental models; and to reduce viremia in an experimental human model of viral infection, the hypothesis is that BCG vaccination induces (partial) protection against susceptibility to and/or severity of Covid-19 infection. This study evaluates the efficacy of BCG to improve the clinical course of Covid-19 infection and to prevent absenteeism in order to safeguard continuous patient care.

This randomized controlled trial has been designed as a pragmatic study with a highly feasible primary endpoint, which is unplanned absenteeism, that can be continuously measured on a bi-weekly basis). This allows for the most rapid identification of a beneficial outcome that would allow other HCWs to also benefit from the intervention if and as soon as it has been demonstrated to be effective.

Conditions
COVID-19
Being tested
BCG Vaccine, Placebo
Keywords
Health care workers
Medical subject headings
COVID-19

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • BCG VaccineDrug

    Also called Danish strain 1331

    Intracutaneously 0.1ml BCG vaccine, which accounts for 0.075mg of attenuated Mycobacterium bovis

  • PlaceboDrug

    Also called NaCl 0,9%

    Intracutaneously 0.1ml NaCl 0,9%

Study groups in NCT04328441
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
BCG vaccineExperimentalIntracutaneously 0.1ml BCG vaccine, which accounts for 0.075mg of attenuated Mycobacterium bovis.
Receives: Drug: BCG Vaccine
PlaceboPlacebo comparatorIntracutaneously 0.1ml of 0.9% NaCl solution
Receives: Drug: Placebo

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Health Care Workers absenteeism

    Number of days of unplanned absenteeism for any reason

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

Secondary outcomes (18)
  1. the cumulative incidence of documented COVID-19

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  2. the cumulative incidence of Hospital Admission due to documented COVID-19

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  3. the number of days of unplanned absenteeism, because of documented COVID-19

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  4. the cumulative incidence of self-reported acute respiratory symptoms or fever

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  5. the cumulative incidence of death due to documented COVID-19

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  6. the cumulative incidence of Intensive Care Admission due to documented COVID-19

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  7. the number of days of absenteeism, because of imposed quarantine as a result of exposure to COVID-19

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  8. the number of days of absenteeism, because of imposed quarantine as a result of having acute respiratory symptoms, fever or documented COVID-19

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  9. the number of days of unplanned absenteeism because of self-reported acute respiratory symptoms

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  10. the number of days of self-reported fever (≥38 gr C)

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  11. the cumulative incidence of self-reported fever (≥38 gr C)

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  12. the number of days of self-reported acute respiratory symptoms

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  13. the cumulative incidence of self-reported acute respiratory symptoms

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  14. the cumulative incidence of death for any reason

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  15. the cumulative incidence of Intensive Care Admission for any reason

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  16. the cumulative incidence of Hospital Admission for any reason

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  17. the cumulative incidence and magnitude of plasma/serum antibodies (IgA,M,G) and SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies at 12 weeks after vaccination and at the end of the study period

    Exploratory

    Measured: Maximum of 365 days

  18. the cumulative incidence and magnitude of plasma/serum antibodies (IgA,M,G) and SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies at 12 weeks after vaccination and at the end of the study period

    Exploratory

    Measured: 3-6 months after inclusion

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted31 Mar 2020
  2. Study start25 Mar 2020
  3. Primary completion31 Mar 2021
  4. Study completion31 Mar 2021

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase 3
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
1,511 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04328441
Sponsor's protocol ID
NL73249.041.20
Acronym
BCG-CORONA
Status last verified
Jun 2022
First submitted
27 Mar 2020
Last updated
3 Jun 2022
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Yes: The results of this study will be disclosed unreservedly at the end of the study.

Publications

  • Ten Doesschate T, Moorlag SJCFM, van der Vaart TW, Taks E, Debisarun P, Ten Oever J, Bleeker-Rovers CP, Verhagen PB, Lalmohamed A, Ter Heine R, van Crevel R, van de Wijgert J, Janssen AB, Bonten MJ, van Werkhoven CH, Netea MG; BCG-CORONA study team#. Two Randomized Controlled Trials of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Vaccination to reduce absenteeism among health care workers and hospital admission by elderly persons during the COVID-19 pandemic: A structured summary of the study protocols for two randomised controlled trials. Trials. 2020 Jun 5;21(1):481. doi: 10.1186/s13063-020-04389-w.

    PubMed 32503602

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 3 study testing BCG Vaccine in people with COVID-19, run by UMC Utrecht at 9 sites in Netherlands.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 12 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Jun 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 9 sites in Netherlands. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 3 studies compare the treatment with the current standard treatment or a placebo in a large group, to confirm how well it works and watch for side effects.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Health Care Workers absenteeism (time frame: Maximum of 365 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT04328441, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Jun 2022.

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