Olgotrelvir as a Single-Agent Treatment of Nonhospitalized Patients with Covid-19

Background: Olgotrelvir is an oral antiviral with dual mechanisms of action targeting severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 main protease (i.e., Mpro) and human cathepsin L. It has potential to serve as a single-agent treatment of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Methods: We conducted a phase 3, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of olgotrelvir in 1212 nonhospitalized adult participants with mild to moderate Covid-19, irrespective of risk factors, who were randomly assigned to receive orally either 600 mg of olgotrelvir or placebo twice daily for 5 days. The primary and key secondary end points were time to sustained recovery of a panel of 11 Covid-19-related symptoms and the viral ribonucleic acid (RNA) load. The safety end point was incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events.

Results: The baseline characteristics of 1212 participants were similar in the two groups. In the modified intention-to-treat population (567 patients in the placebo group and 558 in the olgotrelvir group), the median time to symptom recovery was 205 hours in the olgotrelvir group versus 264 hours in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13 to 1.46; P<0.001). The least squares mean (95% CI) changes of viral RNA load from baseline were -2.20 (-2.59 to -1.81) log10 copies/ml in olgotrelvir-treated participants and -1.40 (-1.79 to -1.01) in participants receiving placebo at day 4. Skin rash (3.3%) and nausea (1.5%) were more frequent in the olgotrelvir group than in the placebo group; there were no treatment-related serious adverse events, and no deaths were reported.

Conclusions: Olgotrelvir as a single-agent treatment significantly improved symptom recovery. Adverse effects were not dose limiting. (Funded by Sorrento Therapeutics, a parent company of ACEA Therapeutics; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05716425.).

Author/s:

Rongmeng Jiang, Bing Han, Wanhong Xu, Xiaoying Zhang, Chunxian Peng, Qiang Dang, Wei Sun, Ling Lin

Nirmatrelvir or Molnupiravir Use and Severe Outcomes From Omicron Infections

Rowan Hutchins — Wed, 04 Oct 2023 05:00:00 +0000

Date Added:

October 4, 2023

Journal/Publication:

JAMA Network Open

Publisher:

AMA

Publication Date:

September 21, 2023

Issue:

Volume:

URL:

Nirmatrelvir or Molnupiravir Use and Severe Outcomes From Omicron Infections

Type:

Clinical Research Results

Format:

Article

DOI (1):

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.35077

Keywords

PMID (1):

37733342

MeSH

COVID-19* / epidemiology

COVID-19 Vaccines

COVID-19 Drug Treatment

High risk outpatients with COVID (omicron type) appear to benefit from either molnupiravir or nirmatrelvir. James W. Mold, MD, MPH

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Question: What outcomes are associated with ritonavir-boosted nirmatrelvir or molnupiravir use for outpatient treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants, particularly BQ.1.1 and XBB.1.5, in high-risk individuals?

Findings: In a cohort study of 68 867 patients who received a diagnosis of COVID-19 at Cleveland Clinic from April 1, 2022, to February 20, 2023, and who were at high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19, both nirmatrelvir and molnupiravir use were significantly associated with reductions in hospitalization and death. The association was observed across subgroups defined by age, race and ethnicity, date of diagnosis, vaccination status, previous infection status, and coexisting conditions.

Meaning: These findings suggest that both nirmatrelvir and molnupiravir can be used to treat nonhospitalized patients who are at high risk of progressing to severe COVID-19.

Author/s:

Lin, Dan-Yu, Huang, Shuaiqi, Abi Fadel, Francois