Overview

Targeting de Novo Pyrimidine Biosynthesis by Leflunomide for the Treatment of COVID-19 Virus Disease

Status:
Active, not recruiting

Trial end date:
2022-07-01

Target enrollment:

Participant gender:

Summary

The global COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented strain on health care services around the world.The absence of specific anti-viral medications to treat the underlying infection led to a proliferation of clinical studies and trials aimed at re-purposing existing medications. Human dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) is vital enzyme utilised by viruses to replicate in the host cell. Leflunomide, a drug that is already licenced to treat rheumatoid arthritis, is a potent inhibitor of the enzyme DHODH. Importantly, this drug has dual anti-viral and anti-inflammatory properties so it targets viral replication and suppresses host inflammatory response which plays a role at more progressive stages of infection. DEFEAT-COVID is a multi-site, international, interventional, pragmatic, parallel group design, open label, randomised CTIMP with a pilot phase that will allow to adapt procedures and assessments if required. A phase III clinical trial of leflunomide for treating COVID-19 has been registered in China, Registration number: ChiCTR2000030058). The current proposal extends the original clinical study of leflunomide in China (People's Hospital of Wuhan University) to the UK through a structured collaboration.

Phase:

Phase 3

Details

Lead Sponsor:

Ashford and St. Peter's Hospitals NHS Trust

Treatments:

Leflunomide