Clinical Research Services Turku - CRST Oy

Infection with coxsackie B viruses (CVBs) can cause diseases ranging from mild common cold-type symptoms to severe life-threatening conditions. CVB infections are considered to be prime candidates for environmental triggers of type 1 diabetes. This, together with the significant disease burden of acute CVB infections and their association with chronic diseases other than diabetes, has prompted the development of human CVB vaccines. The current study evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of the first human vaccine designed against CVBs associated with type 1 diabetes in a double-blind randomised placebo-controlled Phase I trial.

The main eligibility criteria for participants were good general health, age between 18 and 45 years, provision of written informed consent and willingness to comply with all trial procedures. Treatment allocation (PRV-101 or placebo) was based on a computer-generated randomisation schedule and people assessing the outcomes were masked to group assignment. In total, 32 participants (17 men, 15 women) aged 18–44 years were randomised to receive a low (n=12) or high (n=12) dose of a multivalent, formalin-inactivated vaccine including CVB serotypes 1–5 (PRV-101), or placebo (n=8), given by intramuscular injections at weeks 0, 4 and 8 at a single study site in Finland. The participants were followed for another 24 weeks. Safety and tolerability were the primary endpoints. Anti-CVB IgG and virus-neutralising titres were analysed using an ELISA and neutralising plaque reduction assays, respectively.

Among the 32 participants (low dose, n=12; high dose, n=12; placebo, n=8) no serious adverse events or adverse events leading to study treatment discontinuation were observed. Treatment-emergent adverse events considered to be related to the study drug occurred in 37.5% of the participants in the placebo group and 62.5% in the PRV-101 group (injection site pain, headache, injection site discomfort and injection site pruritus being most common). PRV-101 induced dose-dependent neutralising antibody responses against all five CVB serotypes included in the vaccine in both the high- and low-dose groups. Protective titres ≥8 against all five serotypes were seen in >90% of participants over the entire follow-up period.

The results indicate that the tested multivalent CVB vaccine is well tolerated and immunogenic, supporting its further clinical development.

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04690426.

This trial was funded by Provention Bio, a Sanofi company.

The primary objective of this study is to evaluate the therapeutic potential of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) in the treatment of adult patients with PCR-confirmed Covid-19 infection in a primary open-care setting, as compared to placebo. The study hypothesis is that treatment with HCQ will reduce the risk of hospitalization because of Covid-19 infection, and the sample size estimate of the study is based on the need to test this hypothesis.The secondary objectives of the study are: to evaluate the safety and tolerability of HCQ in the treatment of adult patients with PCR-confirmed Covid-19 infection in a primary open-care setting, as compared to placebo;to collect experience of the use of HCQ in the treatment of Covid-19 infection in outpatients, in order to be able to identify patient characteristics that predict specific treatment responses (favourable or unfavourable); this objective will also be addressed by post-hoc subgroup analysis of the study results and by meta-analysis of pooled patient data from other clinical trials of HCQ in outpatients; andto evaluate the impact of Covid-19 infection and its treatment on the mental health and well-being of the study participants.In addition, if the data allow, the study has the following exploratory objectives: to evaluate the extent and duration of SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding by PCR testing of nasopharyngeal swab samples in study subjects treated with HCQ, as compared to placebo;to evaluate the extent and time course of SARS-CoV-2 virus-specific antibody responses in serum of study subjects treated with HCQ, as compared to placebo;to evaluate other possible biomarker changes in blood in study subjects treated with HCQ, as compared to placebo;to explore the possible effects of genetic variation in drug metabolizing enzymes on HCQ-related outcomes in the study population;to explore the associations of HCQ-related outcome variables with other patient characteristics, e.g. HLA haplotypes, HCQ concentrations, demographic variables, disease history and concomitant medications.

This is a phase 2, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group treatment trial comparing HCQ with placebo in outpatients with Covid-19 infection. Participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to the two treatment arms.

Main inclusion criteria: Males and females >40 years of age, or 18-40 years of age with one or both of the following: i. diabetes mellitus (type 1 or type 2); ii. BMI > 35 kg/m2;Valid independent informed consent obtained;Symptoms typical of Covid-19 infection, according to criteria specified in the study protocol. The onset of symptoms must be within 5 days of enrolment;Positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR test result of a nasopharyngeal swab sample.Main exclusion criteria:1. Suspected severe or moderately severe pneumonia, presenting with any of the following: respiratory rate > 26 breaths/min; significant respiratory distress; or SpO2 ≤94% on room air;2. Requiring treatment in the hospital, according to the treating physician’s judgement;3. Any contraindication to treatment with HCQ;4. Pregnancy or lactation.The trial will be conducted at seven study sites in a primary public health care setting in the region of Satakunta, Finland.

Participants will be randomized to receive either HCQ capsules at 300 mg twice a day for one day and then 200 mg twice a day for 6 days, or placebo capsules for 7 days.

The primary endpoint of the study is the number of hospitalizations due to Covid-19 infection within four weeks of entry into the study.The secondary endpoints of the study include the following: duration and severity of Covid-19-related symptoms, as reported by daily self-assessments;number of Intensive Care Unit treatment episodes due to Covid-19 infection within four weeks of entry into the study;number of deaths due to Covid-19 infection within four weeks of entry into the study;number of treatment-related adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs (SAEs);all-cause hospitalizations and mortality within six months of entry into the study; andself-assessed symptoms of anxiety, as assessed with repeated administration of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7).The exploratory endpoints of the study include the following: extent and duration of SARS-CoV-2 viral shedding and virus-specific antibody responses in serum; andpossible other blood biomarker changes.

Eligible study participants are randomly allocated into two treatment arms (1:1 ratio). The randomization list has been generated using Viedoc™ (Viedoc Technologies AB, Uppsala, Sweden) that is used as an electronic data capture system for this study.

The participants and all study personnel remain blinded to the treatment allocation by having both IMPs packed in identical containers. Masking of the treatments was performed by re-formulation of the IMPs so that the HCQ capsules and the placebo capsules have identical appearance.

600 participants are to be randomised with 300 in each arm.

Protocol version 2, dated 14 July 2020; recruitment is expected to start in December, 2020, and to be completed in June, 2021.

EudraCT 2020-002038-33, registered 26 June 2020

The full protocol is attached as an additional file, accessible from the Trials website (Additional file 1). The protocol has been redacted to conform with privacy regulations by deleting the names and contact information of individuals mentioned in the protocol but not listed as authors in this communication. In the interest of expediting dissemination of this material, the familiar formatting has been eliminated; this Letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocol.

This phase 1 open-label study evaluated the uptake kinetics of a novel theranostic PET radiopharmaceutical, 18F-rhPSMA-7.3, to optimise its use for imaging of prostate cancer.

Nine men, three with high-risk localised prostate cancer, three with treatment-naïve hormone-sensitive metastatic disease and three with castration-resistant metastatic disease, underwent dynamic 45-min PET scanning of a target area immediately post-injection of 300 MBq 18F-rhPSMA-7.3, followed by two whole-body PET/CT scans acquired from 60 and 90 min post-injection. Volumes of interest (VoIs) corresponding to prostate cancer lesions and reference tissues were recorded. Standardised uptake values (SUV) and lesion-to-reference ratios were calculated for 3 time frames: 35–45, 60–88 and 90–118 min. Net influx rates (Ki) were calculated using Patlak plots.

Altogether, 44 lesions from the target area were identified. Optimal visual lesion detection started 60 min post-injection. The 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 signal from prostate cancer lesions increased over time, while reference tissue signals remained stable or decreased. The mean (SD) SUV (g/mL) at the 3 time frames were 8.4 (5.6), 10.1 (7) and 10.6 (7.5), respectively, for prostate lesions, 11.2 (4.3), 13 (4.8) and 14 (5.2) for lymph node metastases, and 4.6 (2.6), 5.7 (3.1) and 6.4 (3.5) for bone metastases. The mean (SD) lesion-to-reference ratio increases from the earliest to the 2 later time frames were 40% (10) and 59% (9), respectively, for the prostate, 65% (27) and 125% (47) for metastatic lymph nodes and 25% (19) and 32% (30) for bone lesions. Patlak plots from lesion VoIs signified almost irreversible uptake kinetics. Ki, SUV and lesion-to-reference ratio estimates showed good agreement.

18F-rhPSMA-7.3 uptake in prostate cancer lesions was high. Lesion-to-background ratios increased over time, with optimal visual detection starting from 60 min post-injection. Thus, 18F-rhPSMA-7.3 emerges as a very promising PET radiopharmaceutical for diagnostic imaging of prostate cancer.

NCT03995888 (24 June 2019).