AzTrials
AzTrials

COVID-19Phase 2PREVENTNCT04365257

Prazosin to Prevent COVID-19 (PREVENT-COVID Trial)

A Phase 2 study testing Prazosin in people with COVID-19, run by Johns Hopkins University at 1 site in United States.

Terminated

Stopped early. The study ended before it was planned to and will not resume.

Official record
Search all trials

Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of prazosin to prevent cytokine storm syndrome and severe complications in hospitalized patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 45 to 85 years
Conditions the study is for
COVID-19
What is being tested?
Prazosin
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
5 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
13 May 2020to 31 Mar 2022
Phase
Phase 2
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 45 to 85 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Subjects must be 45 years of age or older
  • Provision of informed consent
  • Subjects who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 AND have clinical symptoms of COVID-19* AND have been hospitalized, but are not requiring more than 4 liters/minute of supplemental oxygen by nasal cannula and are not requiring ICU/CCU-level care at time of enrollment
  • ()Acute respiratory tract infection (sudden onset of at least one of the following: fever, chills, sore throat, myalgia, diarrhea, cough, or shortness of breath) AND with no other etiology that fully explains the clinical presentation

Who cannot join

  • Female subjects who identify as pregnant, self-reported positive pregnancy testing, or who are breastfeeding during the study period
  • Age >85 years
  • Known history of known orthostatic hypotension, unexplained history of syncope, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), neurally-mediated hypotension, heart failure, myocardial infarction, stable or unstable angina, history of coronary artery bypass surgery, stroke, carotid artery disease, or moderate to severe mitral or aortic stenosis
  • Current use of tocilizumab, sarilumab, siltuximab, lopinavir/ritonavir, remdesivir, favipiravir, alpha-blockers, combined alpha/beta blockers (carvedilol, labetalol), sotalol, clonidine, phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors, asenapine, or alpha-methyldopa
  • Need for vasopressors, inotropes, or intra-aortic balloon pump at time of enrollment
  • Allergy or intolerance to quinazolines (including prazosin)
  • Requires oxygen supplementation beyond 4 liters of oxygen/minute per nasal cannula at time of enrollment (i.e. not requiring oxygenation by non-rebreather, high-flow nasal cannula, CPAP/BiPAP, or invasive mechanical ventilation)
  • Patients who are in the custody of state or federal entities (prisoners)

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • Johns Hopkins Hospital

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21287

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Alpha-1 Adrenergic Receptor Antagonism to Prevent COVID-19 Cytokine Storm Syndrome and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: A Randomized Study Comparing the Efficacy of Prazosin vs. Standard of Care for SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The purpose of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of prazosin to prevent cytokine storm syndrome and severe complications in hospitalized patients with Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Read the detailed description

In Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) elicits an exuberant local or systemic immune response ('hyperinflammation') in the lung and other sites of viral replication, compromising organ function and leading to high morbidity and mortality. Emerging evidence suggests that a subset of patients with COVID-19 develops a cytokine storm syndrome that is associated with elevation of pro-inflammatory cytokines.

Catecholamines enhance inflammatory injury by augmenting the production of IL-6 and other cytokines through a self-amplifying feed-forward loop in immune cells that requires alpha-1 adrenergic receptor (⍺1-AR) signaling. The ⍺1-AR antagonist prazosin prevents cytokine storm and markedly increased survival following inflammatory stimuli in preclinical models. In a retrospective study of outcomes in acute respiratory distress syndrome or pneumonia, patients who were taking ⍺1-AR antagonists had significantly lower probability of needing invasive mechanical ventilation and dying in the hospital compared to non-users.

Prazosin may blunt surges in catecholamines and self-amplifying cytokine production (including interleukin 6) and, as an early preemptive therapy in patients prior to disease progression, may prevent cytokine storm syndrome and severe complications of COVID-19.

In this study, patients with positive SARS-CoV-2 testing who are hospitalized (but are not requiring more than 4 liters/minute of supplemental oxygen by nasal cannula) will be screened for eligibility. Patients who provide informed consent and meet eligibility requirements will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to receive either prazosin or standard of care. Participants randomized to the study drug will receive prazosin for 28 days and all patients will be followed for a total of 60 days to capture outcomes.

Conditions
COVID-19
Being tested
Prazosin, Standard of care
Keywords
SARS-CoV-2, Coronavirus disease 2019, COVID-19, Cytokine Storm Syndrome, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Prazosin, Alpha-1 receptor antagonist
Medical subject headings
COVID-19, Cytokine Release Syndrome, Respiratory Distress Syndrome

What participants receive

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

  • PrazosinDrug

    Also called Minipress, alpha-1 adrenergic receptor antagonist, alpha blocker

    Participants in this arm will receive the study drug as outlined in the arm description.

  • Standard of careOther

    Participants in this arm will receive standard of care.

Study groups in NCT04365257
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
PrazosinExperimental1. Prazosin 1mg given to observe if medication is tolerated or if signs or symptoms of hypotension develop (e.g. dizziness, lightheadedness). 2. If the patient remains asymptomatic and BP >110/60 mmHg, prazosin is continued at 1mg every 8 hours (q8h). 3. Day 3: If the patient remains asymptomatic and BP >110/60 mmHg, increase dose to 2mg q8h. 4. Day 6: If the patient remains asymptomatic and BP >110/60 mmHg, increase dose to 5mg q8h. 5. If the BP is <100/60 mmHg at any time, the next dose should be held, and patient continues with the highest previously tolerated dose 8 hours later. 6. If the patient did not tolerate dose escalation to 5mg q8h, one attempt is made to increase dose to 3mg q8h. If this is not tolerated, the patient continues with the highest previously tolerated dose 8 hours later. If BP monitoring is not available, repeated occurrences of postural dizziness should trigger drug dose reduction or BP monitoring.
Receives: Drug: Prazosin
Standard of careActive comparatorSubjects randomized to this arm will receive standard of care.
Receives: Other: Standard of care

What is being measured

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

  1. Death

    Number of participants in each arm who expire.

    Measured: up to day 60

  2. Hospitalized, Requiring Mechanical Ventilation and/or High Flow Nasal Cannula and/or ICU/CCU Admission (or Equivalent) and/or ECMO

    Number of participants in each arm who are hospitalized and requiring mechanical ventilation and/or high flow nasal cannula and/or ICU/CCU admission (or equivalent) and/or ECMO.

    Measured: up to day 60

  3. Hospitalized, Requiring Supplemental Oxygen, Not Requiring ICU/CCU Level Care (or Interventions Listed Under Outcome 2)

    Number of participants in each arm who are hospitalized and requiring supplemental oxygen, not requiring ICU/CCU level care (or interventions listed under Outcome 2).

    Measured: up to day 60

  4. Cumulative Incidence of Grade 3 and 4 Adverse Events

    Number of participants in each arm who develop grade 3 and 4 adverse events during the study period.

    Measured: up to day 60

  5. Number of Participants With Serious Adverse Events

    Number of participants in each arm who develop serious adverse events during the study period.

    Measured: up to day 60

  6. Incidence of Symptomatic Hypotension or Hypotension Requiring Cessation of Prazosin

    Number of participants in each arm who develop symptomatic hypotension (systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg) or hypotension requiring cessation of prazosin.

    Measured: up to day 60

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Number of Participants With Laboratory Abnormalities in Peripheral Blood

    Number of participants with laboratory abnormalities in peripheral blood (Lymphopenia, leukocytosis, anemia, thrombocytopenia, creatinine, AST/ALT, troponin I, pro-BNP, D-dimer, ferritin, interleukin (IL-6), soluble IL-2 receptor.

    Measured: up to day 60

  2. Duration of Laboratory Abnormalities in Peripheral Blood

    Number of days with laboratory abnormalities in peripheral blood (Lymphopenia, leukocytosis, anemia, thrombocytopenia, creatinine, AST/ALT, troponin I, pro-BNP, D-dimer, ferritin, interleukin (IL-6), soluble IL-2 receptor.

    Measured: up to day 60

  3. Number of Participants With Laboratory Abnormalities in Plasma

    Number of participants with laboratory abnormalities in fractionated plasma catecholamines and plasma metanephrines.

    Measured: up to day 60

  4. Duration of Laboratory Abnormalities in Plasma

    Number of days with laboratory abnormalities in fractionated plasma catecholamines and plasma metanephrines.

    Measured: up to day 60

Timeline

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

  1. First posted28 Apr 2020
  2. Study start13 May 2020
  3. Primary completion31 Mar 2022
  4. Study completion31 Mar 2022

Why it stopped: Lack of recruitment

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 2
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
5 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT04365257
Sponsor's protocol ID
IRB00246659
Other IDs
COV2001
Acronym
PREVENT
Status last verified
Mar 2023
First submitted
24 Apr 2020
Last updated
10 Apr 2023
Data monitoring committee
Yes
FDA-regulated drug
Yes
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 2 study testing Prazosin in people with COVID-19, run by Johns Hopkins University 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 4 inclusion and 8 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: stopped early, as of the sponsor's last update on 10 Apr 2023. 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. 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 2 studies give the treatment to a larger group to see whether it has the intended effect and to keep checking safety.

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

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 31 Jan 2023). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Death (time frame: up to day 60). The study lists 6 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
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 10 Apr 2023.

Free account

Log in to keep searching

You’ve used your 3 free searches. AzTrials is free: log in or create a free account to keep searching clinical trials and save the ones you want to follow.

Create a free accountLog in