Global trials push blood thinners into COVID-19 fight

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This article was published 23/01/2021 (1743 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A global team of scientists, co-led by a Winnipeg doctor, say blood thinners appear to prevent some moderate COVID-19 patients from deteriorating further — offering a “massive” advance in treatment they expect will ease suffering and lesson strain on hospital ICUs.

“We’re repurposing a drug that is inexpensive, familiar and widely available, to every hospital in the world,” said Dr. Ryan Zarychanski, a University of Manitoba professor who works as a hematologist for CancerCare.

His research involved a clinical trial spanning five continents, in more than 300 hospitals, whose interim results showed the common blood thinner heparin reduced the probability of requiring life support by about one-third.

“It reduced their burden of critical illness in the hospital,” Zarychanski told the Free Press.

“If we can prevent people from getting critically ill, then we can reduce strains on hospital systems, and allow us to care for patients more efficiently.”

That means the drug could soon be part of standard care for COVID-19 patients, who often experience inflammation.

The study involved more than 1,300 moderately ill patients admitted to hospital, including hundreds in Canada.

Researchers found the full dose was more effective than the lower dose typically administered to prevent blood clots in hospitalized patients.

Zarychanski said he hopes patients in Winnipeg would soon be on routine blood thinners, and hopes hospitals around the world add it to standard care.

His colleague, Ewan Goligher, a critical care physician at Toronto General Hospital, said research into other questions surrounding blood thinners will continue.

That includes whether to continue treatment if a moderately ill patient develops severe COVID-19, and whether adding an antiplatelet agent would help.

Doctors noticed early in the pandemic that COVID-19 patients suffered an increased rate of blood clots and inflammation. This led to complications including lung failure, heart attack and stroke.

In December, investigators found giving full-dose blood thinners to critically ill ICU patients did not help, and was actually harmful.

However, Goligher noted there have been other drugs that appear to ease mortality in severe cases, expecting more trials to release promising data soon.

Goligher was heartened by the news blood thinners could soon ease a devastating winter surge of infections.

“I personally find the thought that this treatment will prevent (patients) from getting to this state incredibly gratifying. It’s even better than if it was an effective treatment for severe COVID-19, to be able to prevent people from becoming severe is huge.”

The trials are supported by international funding organizations including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, NIH National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute in the United States, National Institute for Health Research in the United Kingdom, and National Health and Medical Research Council in Australia.

Meanwhile, U.S. drug maker Eli Lilly said this week its antibody drug bamlanivimab — developed in partnership with Vancouver’s AbCellera Biologics — can prevent COVID-19 illness in nursing home residents and staff.

In November, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada had purchased 26,000 doses of the therapeutic drug, with shipments to arrive between December 2020 and February 2021.

Chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam said Friday that Health Canada relies on clinical experts “on the ground” treating patients “to decide what’s best for them.”

— with files from The Canadian Press

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca