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Covid19Phase 4INHALE-HEPNCT04723563

Nebulized Heparin for the Treatment of COVID-19

A Phase 4 study testing Heparin and 0.9%sodium chloride in people with Covid19 and Pneumonia, Viral, run by Frederick Health at 1 site in United States.

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

Randomized, placebo controlled study to determine if nebulized heparin may reduce the need for mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients with the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. This will be a part of a larger meta-trial. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Covid19, Pneumonia, Viral
What is being tested?
Heparin and 0.9%sodium chloride
Could I receive a placebo?
Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
How many people
50 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
22 Feb 2021to 23 Aug 2021
Phase
Phase 4
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
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Admitted to the hospital
  • There is a PCR positive sample for SARS-CoV-2 within the past 21 days. The sample can be a nasal orpharyngeal swab, sputum, tracheal aspirate, bronchoalveolar lavage, or another sample from the patient
  • Modified Ordinal Clinical Scale for COVID-19 of 3-5

Who cannot join

  • Intubated and on mechanical ventilation, or requiring immediate intubation as per the treating clinician's assessment
  • Heparin allergy or heparin-induced thrombocytopaenia
  • APTT > 120 seconds, not due to anticoagulant therapy and does not correct with administration of fresh frozen plasma
  • Platelet count < 20 x 109 per L
  • Pulmonary bleeding or uncontrolled bleeding
  • Pregnant or might be pregnant
Show all 12Show fewer
  • Acute brain injury that may result in long-term disability
  • Myopathy, spinal cord injury, or nerve injury or disease with a likely prolonged incapacity to breathe independently e.g. Guillain-Barre syndrome
  • Treatment limitations in place, i.e. not for intubation, not for ICU admission
  • Death is imminent or inevitable within 24 hours
  • Clinician objection
  • Refusal of participant (person responsible) consent

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Frederick Health Hospital

    Frederick, Maryland, 21701

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: INHALEd Unfractionated HEParin for the Treatment of Hospitalized Patients With COVID-19 Pneumonia

Randomized, placebo controlled study to determine if nebulized heparin may reduce the need for mechanical ventilation in hospitalized patients with the novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19. This will be a part of a larger meta-trial.

Read the detailed description

COVID-19 is a novel coronavirus that can cause severe and potentially fatal respiratory infections. COVID-19 has many similarities to previously seen coronaviruses, such as those that caused the Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) that emerged in 2011 and the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2002-2003. Based on early reports, many patients may present with mild to moderate respiratory symptoms, but approximately 20% developed severe symptoms. These severe cases developed a multitude of life threatening complications, like acute lung injury (ALI), acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and shock.

An early investigation into the patients with severe presentations, revealed high levels of inflammatory cytokines like interleukin 2 (IL-2), interleukin 6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1). This upregulation of inflammatory cytokines, also referred to as a cytokine storm, is similar to the innate immune response triggered by the previous coronaviruses.5,6 The increased production of these cytokines is the expected anti-viral response of the innate immune system, which is trigged by viral RNA replication. Viral replication triggers downstream inflammatory signaling cascades like NF-κB and IRF3 leading to increased neutrophil and monocyte-macrophages infiltrating the tissue. While effective against viral infection, this process is also believed to be responsible for the development of the significant respiratory complications associated with COVID-19.

ALI and ARDS are not unique to COVID-19 and develop with many viral respiratory infections. Several therapeutic strategies have been evaluated in ALI and ARDS and demonstrated benefit outside of the current pandemic. Heparin, a commonly used anticoagulant, has been shown to exhibit anti-inflammatory properties within the respiratory system. An in vitro study of heparin in a pulmonary cell model of ALI found that heparin significantly inhibited the NF-κB pathway. This inhibition led to a reduced levels of IL-6 and TNF-α in human alveolar macrophages exposed to an E. coli lipopolysaccharide to simulate inflammatory ALI. Additionally, heparin significantly reduced IL-6, TNF-α, and MCP-1 in human alveolar type II cell models. No increases in necrosis or apoptosis were observed.

In addition to these immunomodulation effects, heparin is primarily an anticoagulant and systemic administration carries a risk of bleeding. Due to this, several investigations were conducted in animal models and in humans to determine if administering the heparin via nebulization could take advantage of the immunomodulation, without increasing the risk of bleeding. Nebulized heparin was studied in a rat model of ARDS and was observed to attenuate ALI through reduction of pro-coagulant and pro-inflammatory pathways. Significant reductions in IL-6 and TNF-α were observed. Additionally, reductions in the expression of NF-κB were observed in the alveolar macrophages.

Several clinical investigations in humans with ARDS have also been completed. In a randomized, placebo controlled study of 60 patients with severe ARDS, patients were randomized to nebulized heparin, streptokinase and placebo. Patients in the heparin group received 10,000 units via nebulizer every 4 hours and had significant improvements in their ARDS by day 8. No effect on systemic coagulation markers like APTT and INR were observed. Additionally, no major bleeding events or blood transfusions were observed. A second, randomized placebo controlled trial of 50 patients requiring more than 48 hours of mechanical ventilation was conducted to determine the possible benefit of nebulized heparin. Patients with ALI that received nebulized heparin had a significant reduction in the time on the ventilator as compared to placebo. Patients that received heparin had higher APTT values than those that received placebo, but no significant bleeding events occurred. This study utilized a heparin dose of 25,000 units every 4 hours, which may explain the difference between the laboratory effects in the two human studies.

Heparin has demonstrated the ability to reduce the inflammatory cytokines believed to be responsible for the development of ALI and ARDS in COVID-19 and it may prove to be beneficial in this patient population. When administered via nebulization, no adverse effects were observed in the previously conducted studies and may provide a safe therapeutic option to improve the outcomes of patients with COVID-19 related ALI and ARDS.

This study will be a randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial to determine if nebulized heparin administered for the duration of hospitalization will reduce the need for mechanical ventilation and the overall length of stay.

Being tested
Heparin, 0.9%sodium chloride
Keywords
heparin, COVID-19
Medical subject headings
COVID-19, Pneumonia, Viral

What participants receive

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

  • HeparinDrug

    25,000 units of unfractionated heparin nebulized 4 times daily for the duration of hospitalization

  • 0.9%sodium chlorideDrug

    Also called Placebo

    5 mL of 0.9% sodium chloride nebulized 4 times daily for the duration of hospitalization

Study groups in NCT04723563
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Nebulized HeparinExperimentalHeparin 5,000 units/mL Dose: 25,000 units Frequency: Four times per day Duration: until hospital discharge
Receives: Drug: Heparin
PlaceboPlacebo comparator0.9% Sodium Chloride Dose: 5 mL Frequency: Four times per day Duration: until hospital discharge
Receives: Drug: 0.9%sodium chloride

What is being measured

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

  1. Need for mechanical ventilation at day 28

    proportion of patients needed mechanical ventilation by day 28

    Measured: 28 days

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Hospital length of stay

    Days of hospital admission

    Measured: 60 days

  2. Average daily SaO2/FiO2

    Measured: 28 days

Timeline

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

  1. First posted25 Jan 2021
  2. Study start22 Feb 2021
  3. Primary completion23 Aug 2021
  4. Study completion23 Aug 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 4
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Quadruple blind
Who is masked
Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
50 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04723563
Sponsor's protocol ID
FHHep2121
Acronym
INHALE-HEP
Status last verified
Sep 2021
First submitted
22 Jan 2021
Last updated
5 Sep 2021
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided

Publications

  • Prompetchara E, Ketloy C, Palaga T. Immune responses in COVID-19 and potential vaccines: Lessons learned from SARS and MERS epidemic. Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol. 2020 Mar;38(1):1-9. doi: 10.12932/AP-200220-0772.

    PubMed 32105090
  • Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, Zhang L, Fan G, Xu J, Gu X, Cheng Z, Yu T, Xia J, Wei Y, Wu W, Xie X, Yin W, Li H, Liu M, Xiao Y, Gao H, Guo L, Xie J, Wang G, Jiang R, Gao Z, Jin Q, Wang J, Cao B. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020 Feb 15;395(10223):497-506. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5. Epub 2020 Jan 24.

    PubMed 31986264
  • Liu B, Li M, Zhou Z, Guan X, Xiang Y. Can we use interleukin-6 (IL-6) blockade for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-induced cytokine release syndrome (CRS)? J Autoimmun. 2020 Jul;111:102452. doi: 10.1016/j.jaut.2020.102452. Epub 2020 Apr 10.

    PubMed 32291137
  • Chen N, Zhou M, Dong X, Qu J, Gong F, Han Y, Qiu Y, Wang J, Liu Y, Wei Y, Xia J, Yu T, Zhang X, Zhang L. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a descriptive study. Lancet. 2020 Feb 15;395(10223):507-513. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30211-7. Epub 2020 Jan 30.

    PubMed 32007143
  • Mahallawi WH, Khabour OF, Zhang Q, Makhdoum HM, Suliman BA. MERS-CoV infection in humans is associated with a pro-inflammatory Th1 and Th17 cytokine profile. Cytokine. 2018 Apr;104:8-13. doi: 10.1016/j.cyto.2018.01.025. Epub 2018 Feb 2.

    PubMed 29414327
  • Wong CK, Lam CW, Wu AK, Ip WK, Lee NL, Chan IH, Lit LC, Hui DS, Chan MH, Chung SS, Sung JJ. Plasma inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in severe acute respiratory syndrome. Clin Exp Immunol. 2004 Apr;136(1):95-103. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2249.2004.02415.x.

    PubMed 15030519
  • Perlman S, Dandekar AA. Immunopathogenesis of coronavirus infections: implications for SARS. Nat Rev Immunol. 2005 Dec;5(12):917-27. doi: 10.1038/nri1732.

    PubMed 16322745
  • Darden DB, Hawkins RB, Larson SD, Iovine NM, Prough DS, Efron PA. The Clinical Presentation and Immunology of Viral Pneumonia and Implications for Management of Coronavirus Disease 2019. Crit Care Explor. 2020 Apr 29;2(4):e0109. doi: 10.1097/CCE.0000000000000109. eCollection 2020 Apr.

    PubMed 32426751
  • Camprubi-Rimblas M, Guillamat-Prats R, Lebouvier T, Bringue J, Chimenti L, Iglesias M, Obiols C, Tijero J, Blanch L, Artigas A. Role of heparin in pulmonary cell populations in an in-vitro model of acute lung injury. Respir Res. 2017 May 10;18(1):89. doi: 10.1186/s12931-017-0572-3.

    PubMed 28486961
  • Chimenti L, Camprubi-Rimblas M, Guillamat-Prats R, Gomez MN, Tijero J, Blanch L, Artigas A. Nebulized Heparin Attenuates Pulmonary Coagulopathy and Inflammation through Alveolar Macrophages in a Rat Model of Acute Lung Injury. Thromb Haemost. 2017 Nov;117(11):2125-2134. doi: 10.1160/TH17-05-0347. Epub 2017 Nov 30.

    PubMed 29202212
  • Abdelaal Ahmed Mahmoud A, Mahmoud HE, Mahran MA, Khaled M. Streptokinase Versus Unfractionated Heparin Nebulization in Patients With Severe Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS): A Randomized Controlled Trial With Observational Controls. J Cardiothorac Vasc Anesth. 2020 Feb;34(2):436-443. doi: 10.1053/j.jvca.2019.05.035. Epub 2019 May 27.

    PubMed 31262641
  • Dixon B, Schultz MJ, Smith R, Fink JB, Santamaria JD, Campbell DJ. Nebulized heparin is associated with fewer days of mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients: a randomized controlled trial. Crit Care. 2010;14(5):R180. doi: 10.1186/cc9286. Epub 2010 Oct 11.

    PubMed 20937093
  • van Haren FMP, Page C, Laffey JG, Artigas A, Camprubi-Rimblas M, Nunes Q, Smith R, Shute J, Carroll M, Tree J, Carroll M, Singh D, Wilkinson T, Dixon B. Nebulised heparin as a treatment for COVID-19: scientific rationale and a call for randomised evidence. Crit Care. 2020 Jul 22;24(1):454. doi: 10.1186/s13054-020-03148-2.

    PubMed 32698853

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing Heparin and 0.9%sodium chloride in people with Covid19 and Pneumonia, Viral, run by Frederick Health at 1 site in United States.

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 5 Sep 2021. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. 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 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

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?

Need for mechanical ventilation at day 28 (time frame: 28 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 NCT04723563, which also lists 13 linked publications.

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 5 Sep 2021.

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