Clinical study on how to treat mild Covid-19 cases

A new clinical trial rolling out in the Kansas City area looks to find a treatment for mild cases of Covid-19

<<madeline mcclain reporting dr. mario castro, vice chair for clinical and translational research at kumc: we as physicians want to have all of the tools to be able to treat our patients.right now -- doctors say they just don't have what they need to fight covid-19.dr. mario castro, vice chair for clinical and translational research at kumc: one of the things we as physicians treating this have struggled with is, we can support you but we don't have any active treatment other than on the inpatient side.

We have remdesivir.

We have dexamethasone.but nothing exists to help with the patients that have mild symptoms.the ones told to go home and isolate.dr. dana hawkinson, dir.

Infectious disease and prevention kumc: we would like something like tamiflu for influenza or like an antibiotic for a sinus infection or a urinary tract infection that we can give to people to help prevent hospitalization."ku med is rolling out a new study called activ 2.the study will test a drug -- manufactured from a covid patient's antibodies.

It's part of a series of trials sponsored by the national institutes of health.

It's a one time dose -- you go in get a 60 minute iv infusion.

And ku med is looking for participants with an active covid-19 infection to participate.dr. mario castro, vice chair for clinical and translational research at kumc: "those little spikes that are around that covid-19.

That's the spike protein that the monoclonal antibody is made to."this drug is a treatment not a vaccine.

Vaccines prepare the body's immune system to fight off infections...a vaccine gives you a small taste of the virus and in response your body builds up antibodies.dr. mario castro, vice chair for clinical and translational research at kumc: your body has to develop antibodies.

Your body's immune system has to be intact.

You have to think about weeks to develop that response.

The monoclonal antibody is as soon as you get it, you have the antibodies to protect you.treatments on the other hand -- come in when we are already infected to help us survive, recover more quickly, or lessen our symptoms.dr. mario castro, vice chair for clinical and translational research at kumc: if i'm a physician at a nursing home and i get one case, i want to start treating that case right away.

I don't want to wait for that patient to develop antibodies.the scientific community says a variety of tools -- vaccines and treatments -- are needed to fight the virus.dr. steve stites, chief medical officer at kumc: you may survive it but your life may never be the same.

You may have long standing lung disease, you may have structural lung damage, structural heart damage, you may have neuro-cognitive problems. it's just not influenza.

Because even a mild case can have serious consequences.dr. steve stites, chief medical officer at kumc: there are people who are at home with a mild covid case and then have sudden death, either from an arrhythmia or a blood clot.

We just saw one of those recently and so this is not friendly and so even if you think, 'oh, i'm at home i didn't have to go to the hospital,' you can still die from this."reporting -- madeline mcclain -- kq2 news.>> for information about the activ-2 study-- contact the coordinator at 913-599-4022 today