Examine the effectiveness of pacritinib in treating severe COVID-19
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Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
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Posted on December 12th, 2022
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The acute respiratory distress disorder associated with severe SARS-CoV-2 infection is hallmarked by systemic inflammation mediated by elevated interleukin-6. Pacritinib, a JAK2/IRAK1 inhibitor that can reduce IL-6, had already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat myelofibrosis. A study was conducted to investigate whether the immunosuppressive effect of pacritinib can be leveraged to treat COVID-19.
The phase 2 clinical trial enrolled 200 patients who had been hospitalized due to COVID-19. The patients were randomly assigned to receive either pacritinib or placebo. Pacritinib was given an initial single dose of 400 mg on the first day of enrollment. From the 2nd to 14th day, the patient was given one 200-mg pill of pacritinib, twice a day. The patients were followed for 28 days, and the researcher reported that pacritinib helped reduce the absolute risk of either the need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), by 5.6%. However, pacritinib does not reduce the risk of mortality or improve the rate of clinical improvement. Upon initiation of treatment, pacritinib helps significantly reduce the amount of IL-6; however, there is no difference in IL-6 level and other inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein, ferritin, and lactate dehydrogenase). The study team concluded that pacritinib did not create sufficient clinical improvement in patients with severed COVID-19.
The phase 2 clinical trial enrolled 200 patients who had been hospitalized due to COVID-19. The patients were randomly assigned to receive either pacritinib or placebo. Pacritinib was given an initial single dose of 400 mg on the first day of enrollment. From the 2nd to 14th day, the patient was given one 200-mg pill of pacritinib, twice a day. The patients were followed for 28 days, and the researcher reported that pacritinib helped reduce the absolute risk of either the need for invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), by 5.6%. However, pacritinib does not reduce the risk of mortality or improve the rate of clinical improvement. Upon initiation of treatment, pacritinib helps significantly reduce the amount of IL-6; however, there is no difference in IL-6 level and other inflammatory biomarkers (C-reactive protein, ferritin, and lactate dehydrogenase). The study team concluded that pacritinib did not create sufficient clinical improvement in patients with severed COVID-19.