www.ejpmr.com │ Vol 9, Issue 6, 2022. │ ISO 9001:2015 Certified Journal │ Dewan et al. European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research 243
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL AND MEDICAL RESEARCH www.ejpmr.com ejpmr, 2022, 9(6), 243-253 ABSTRACT Aim: This study is aimed at evaluating efficacy and safety of Intravenous Aviptadil as an add-on to the “Standard of Care” treatment in severe COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure. Design, Setting and Participants: A randomized, multicentric, double-blind, placebo-controlled, comparative Phase III clinical trial was conducted at 8 geographically distributed sites across India between April 2021 to October 2021. The study enrolled 150 participants who were tested and confirmed cases of severe COVID-19 with respiratory failure and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Interventions: 12-hour intravenous infusions of Aviptadil over 3 successive days in ascending doses given as 0.166 mcg/kg/hr on Day 1 (equivalent to one 10 mL vial of 150 mcg), 0.332 mcg/kg/hr on Day 2 (equivalent to two 10 mL vials of 150 mcg each) and 0.498 mcg/kg/hr on Day 3 (equivalent to three 10 mL vials of 150 mcg each). Methodology: Severe COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure were randomized in two groups in a ratio of 1:1, to receive either Aviptadil or Placebo. Both the study drugs were given as an add-on to the standard of care (SOC). The SOC was kept as close as possible to the COVID-19 treatment guidelines specified by the Government of India. The study site staff, investigator and patients were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary endpoint of the study was resolution of respiratory failure whereas the secondary endpoints were improvement in WHO 7-point ordinal scale, improvement in PaO2:FiO2 ratio, survival of the patients and incidences of adverse events. Results: After the completion of treatment in Aviptadil group, an improvement was observed in the primary outcome of resolution of respiratory failure. Proportion of patients on Aviptadil demonstrated statistically significant odds, 2.1-fold, (p=0.0410) of being free of respiratory failure (no oxygen requirement) at Day 3 and 2.6-fold (p=0.0035) at day 7 as compared to the placebo group. An earlier resolution from the respiratory failure, with a median duration of 7 days was noted in the Aviptadil-treated group as compared to 14 days in the placebo group. A higher proportion of patients on Aviptadil shifted to the milder clinical state (32.43% vs 17.80%; p=0.0410 on Day 3 and 70.27% vs 45.21%; 0.0035 on Day 7) without the requirement of oxygen than the placebo group. A reduction of severity (based on WHO 7-point ordinal scale) in clinical status were also observed on Day 14 (p = 0.0005 by Wilcoxon rank sum test) and Day 28 (p = 0.0009 by Wilcoxon rank sum test). There were 68.42% Aviptadil-treated patients who showed 2 or more points improvement on the WHO 7-point ordinal scale as compared to 44.59% in the placebo group (p=0.003; Pearson chi2 test; odds ratio, 2.69; 95% CI, 1.38-5.24) on Day 7. On day 28, patients in the Aviptadil group had higher odds (1.38) of an improvement on WHO 7-point ordinal scale as compared to placebo with SOC. Aviptadil reduced the risk of death by 20% (relative risk 0.80; 95% CI: 0.35, 1.66) in ARDS. Patients treated with Aviptadil demonstrated significant improvement in PaO2/FiO2 ratio vs. placebo from day 2 to over the week (p<0.05) and beyond. There were 15 deaths in the Aviptadil group and 18 deaths in the placebo group. No deaths were attributed to the Investigational products. COVID-19–related mortality occurred in 22% patients of the study population, due to respiratory failure caused by underlying medical conditions. Conclusion: Use of Aviptadil was safe and effective in improving the resolution of respiratory failure, shortening the time to recovery, decreasing respiratory distress and preventing death in respiratory failure patients. The rapidity and magnitude of clinical effect suggests a highly specific role of Aviptadil in combating the lethal effects of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome associated with COVID-19. KEYWORDS: COVID-19, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP), Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), Acute Lung Injury (ALI), Alveolar Type II. *Corresponding Author: Dr. Bhupesh Dewan Department of Medical Services, Zuventus Healthcare Ltd., Office No. 5119, Oberoi Garden Estate, Chandivali, Andheri (E), Mumbai-400 072, India. www.ejpmr.com │ Vol 9, Issue 6, 2022. │ ISO 9001:2015 Certified Journal │ Dewan et al. European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research 244 1. INTRODUCTION Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a devastating clinical syndrome of acute respiratory failure that presents with progressive arterial hypoxemia, dyspnea, and a marked increase in the work of breathing with a need for mechanical ventilation.[1] ARDS is the rapid onset of progressive malfunction of the lungs, that quickly evolves into respiratory failure. The condition is associated with extensive lung inflammation and accumulation of fluid in the alveoli (air sacs) that affects the lung‟s gas exchange capability.[2] ARDS is a manifestation of acute injury to the lung, associated with sepsis, pneumonia, severe pulmonary infections, aspiration of gastric contents, and major trauma.[3,4] ARDS has been widely recognized as a major clinical problem worldwide. Globally, ARDS affects approximately 3 million patients annually, accounting for 10% of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and 24% of patients receiving mechanical ventilation in the ICU[5] with an estimated mortality rate of approximately 40- 60% depending on disease severity.[6,7] The incidence of ARDS in patients with risk factors is 30% in India with the mortality of 41.8%.[8] In the setting of lung injury, neutrophils accumulate in the lung microvasculature, get activated and migrate in large numbers across the vascular endothelial and alveolar epithelial surfaces, releasing several toxic mediators, including proteases, cytokines, and reactive oxygen species which result in increased vascular permeability and a sustained loss of normal endothelial barrier function.[1,9] This migration and mediator release lead to pathologic vascular permeability gaps, in the alveolar epithelial barrier and necrosis of type I and II alveolar cells. Type I alveolar cells are irreversibly damaged and the denuded space is replaced by the deposition of proteins, fibrin, and cellular debris, producing hyaline membranes, while injury to the surfactant-producing alveolar type II (ATII) cells contributes to alveolar collapse. In the proliferative phase, ATII cells proliferate with some epithelial cell regeneration, fibroblastic reaction, and remodeling. In some patients, this progresses to an irreversible fibrotic phase involving collagen deposition in alveolar, vascular, and interstitial beds with the development of microcysts.[4] Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP) is a gut peptide hormone, containing 28-residue amino acid peptides. VIP is highly localized in the lungs (70%) and binds with ATII cells via VIP receptor type-1 (VPAC1).[10] Its action is mediated through VPAC1 and VIP receptor type-2 (VPAC2), which are activated by Pituitary Adenylate Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide (PACAP) belongs to the glucagon-secretin superfamily.[11] VIP was awarded Orphan Drug Designation in 2001 by USFDA for treatment of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.[12] Aviptadil, a synthetic form of human VIP was awarded Orphan Drug Designation for treatment of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (in 2005 by USFDA), Acute Lung Injury (in 2006 by EMA) and Sarcoidosis (in 2007 by EMA and in 2020 by USFDA).[13-16] Aviptadil acts as a potent anti-cytokine in the lung that provides a key defense against numerous forms of acute lung injury. Aviptadil blocks apoptosis, caspase-3 activation in the lung, inhibits inflammatory cytokines like IL6 and TNF-alpha production and reverses CD4/CD8 ratio. Aviptadil increases surfactant production by up-regulation of choline phosphate cytidylyltransferase, which increases the incorporation of methyl choline into phosphatidylcholine[17,18], the major component of pulmonary surfactant.[19] Surfactant reduces the alveolar surface tension, thereby preventing alveolar collapse and allows for breathing with minimal efforts. Furthermore, pulmonary surfactant enhances phagocytes function and maintains immune response in patients with ARDS.[20] Aviptadil prevents the activation of NMDA‐induced caspases, inhibits IL‐6 and TNF‐α production and protects against HCl‐induced pulmonary oedema.[21] In a clinical study, Aviptadil reduced the mortality rate to 12.5% during intensive care and 25% at 30 days which is lower than the expected mortality in sepsis-related ARDS.[22] ARDS is a global threat with significant health and economic burden as it needs intensive medical and pharmaceutical care. Treatment of ARDS is mainly supportive, and it encompasses all measures such as supplemental oxygen, inflammation management (corticosteroids), fluid management, decrease oxygen consumption and increase oxygen delivery.[23] Current managements of ARDS are hampered by the failure to diagnose the condition and to prevent iatrogenic harms such as hospital-acquired infections, ICU acquired weakness, delirium, risk of bleeding and thrombosis, acute kidney injury, hypotension and renal dysfunction.[2] Severe COVID-19 represents viral pneumonia from severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS- CoV-2) infection leading to ARDS. Its manifestations can be viewed as a combination of the two events, namely viral pneumonia and ARDS.[24] The mechanism appears for lung involvement are a combination of both direct viral-mediated injury and host inflammatory response. The pathological features of COVID-19 greatly resemble those seen in SARS and Middle Eastern respiratory syndrome (MERS) coronavirus infections. COVID-19 ARDS causes the typical ARDS pathological changes of diffuse alveolar damage in the lung[25,26] but the mortality is increased up to 61.5%.[24] A lethal SARS- CoV-2 infection that specifically attacks the ATII cells which perform an important role during breathing. This highly specific role of Aviptadil in the lung may be the key to combating the lethal effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection. www.ejpmr.com │ Vol 9, Issue 6, 2022. │ ISO 9001:2015 Certified Journal │ Dewan et al. European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research 245 Considering the benefits and need of therapeutic option for the treatment of ARDS, this study was conducted in India, to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Aviptadil in severe COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure. 2. MATERIAL AND METHODS 2.1 Design and Setting The study was a multicentric, randomized, double-blind, comparative placebo-controlled, Phase III clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous Aviptadil, as an add-on to the „Standard of Care‟ (SOC) treatment in severe COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure. After an approval from the Drug Controller General of India, the study was conducted in eight geographically distributed sites across India. The protocol was approved by the institutional ethics committee at each study site. The study was performed in accordance with International Council for Harmonization for Good Clinical Practice, Declaration of Helsinki and New Drugs and Clinical Trials, Rules, 2019, The study was registered with the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2021/04/033118). 2.2 Participants Patients admitted in hospital were evaluated as per the study eligibility criteria. Patients aged 18 years or older admitted to hospital with laboratory confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease condition as per COVID-19 treatment guideline specified by Government of India (severe condition defined as respiratory rate >30 breaths/min or SpO2 <90% on room air or ARDS or septic shock)[27] were considered eligible. Patients were excluded if the investigator judged that they had any serious medical conditions or irreversible condition (other than COVID-19) with projected fatal course. Patients were also excluded if they were receiving immunosuppressive therapy or having a recent history of myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure. All patients or their legally acceptable representatives provided written informed consent to participate in the study. The details of the disposition of patients in the study are given in Figure 1. Figure 1: Disposition of patients in the study. 2.3 Randomization and Blinding Eligible patients were randomly assigned using block randomization in a ratio 1:1 to receive Aviptadil plus SOC (Aviptadil group) or placebo plus SOC (Placebo group). Participants from Aviptadil group received 12- hour intravenous infusions of Aviptadil over 3 successive days in ascending doses given as 0.166 mcg/kg/hr on Day 1 (equivalent to one 10 mL vial of 150 mcg), 0.332 mcg/kg/hr on Day 2 (equivalent to two 10 mL vials of 150 mcg each) and 0.498 mcg/kg/hr on Day 3 (equivalent to three 10 mL vials of 150 mcg each). Since it was a double-blind study, the assigned treatment arm was not known to the site staff, investigator and the patients. The SOC treatment was administered along with investigational products as per the COVID-19 treatment guidelines specified by the Government of India, in both the treatment groups. SOC included, symptomatic treatment, adequate hydration, oxygen support, conservative fluid management, anticoagulation, corticosteroids, anti-viral, control of co-morbid condition and regular monitoring for breathing, hemodynamic stability and oxygen requirement. The SOC was kept as www.ejpmr.com │ Vol 9, Issue 6, 2022. │ ISO 9001:2015 Certified Journal │ Dewan et al. European Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Research 246 close to the Government treatment protocol as possible in all the study sites. 2.4 Outcome Measures The clinical status of patients was assessed using the World Health Organization‟s (WHO) 7-point ordinal scale recommended by the WHO R&D Blueprint Group.[28] Clinical status score on WHO 7-point ordinal scale were defined as follows: „0‟: No clinical or virological evidence of infection; „1‟: No limitation of activities; „2‟: Limitation of activities „3‟: Hospitalized, no oxygen therapy; „4‟: Oxygen by mask or nasal prongs, „5‟: Non-invasive ventilation or high flow oxygen, „6‟: Intubation and mechanical ventilation; „7‟: Ventilation + additional organ support- pressors, receiving renal replacement therapy, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation; „8‟: Death. The primary efficacy outcome of the study was resolution of respiratory failure up to day 28. Resolution of respiratory failure was defined as clinical status ≤3 (No Oxygen Requirement) on the WHO 7-point ordinal scale. The secondary outcomes were two or more points improvement in WHO 7-point ordinal scale, survival of the patients, improvement in PaO2:FiO2 ratio and incidences of adverse events (AEs). The outcomes were assessed up to Day 28 and patients were followed for survival status at Day 60. Safety was assessed by the number of patients reporting incidences of AEs. 2.5 Statistical Analysis A sample size of 150 patients in the study was estimated to provide 80% power, with a 5% level of significance, to establish a difference between the Aviptadil group and the Placebo group. The mortality with PaO2/FiO2≤100 mmHg were reported in 56% of severe COVID-19 patients with the SOC.[29] We assumed add-on treatment of Aviptadil to the „SOC‟ would reduce the mortality rate by 30% in COVID-19 patients. Based on the above assumptions, the sample size required per group was found to be 62. Considering a drop-out rate of 20%, 75 patients were randomized in each group. Descriptive statistics was used to summarize baseline characteristics; data was represented in terms of number of observations (n), mean ± standard deviation (SD) for continuous variables whereas frequency counts and percentages were established for categorical variables. Baseline and demographic characteristics of two treatment groups were assessed using unpaired Student‟s t-test or Pearson-chi2 test. The primary endpoint was assessed as the proportion of patients who progressed on WHO 7-point ordinal scale and significance tested using Pearson-chi2 test. Improvement on WHO 7-point ordinal scale and PaO2/FiO2 ratio of two treatment groups was assessed using unpaired Student‟s t-test and Pearson-chi2 test. Time to resolution from respiratory failure and survival probability were calculated on Kaplan Meier Survival method. All analysis results were presented with a significance level at 0.05 and 95% confidence intervals. Safety was summarized descriptively, and AEs and serious adverse events (SAEs) were assessed as the frequency and proportion of patients reporting the event. 3. RESULTS |