Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team Jan 31, 2025 4 hours, 48 minutes ago
Medical News: A new study has found that inhaled aviptadil could be a game-changer in treating lung damage caused by COVID-19. This
Medical News report highlights a clinical trial that demonstrated the effectiveness of aviptadil in reducing lung damage and improving recovery rates among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Researchers from multiple institutions, including Baskent University, Kocaeli University, Karadeniz Technical University, and several others in Turkey, have conducted this extensive study to evaluate the benefits of aviptadil inhalation therapy.
Injectable Aviptadil which also be inhaled using a nebulizer to aid in recovery of lung damage due to COVID-19
Understanding the Study and Its Purpose
COVID-19 has been a major health crisis, and while antiviral treatments have helped reduce severe cases, many patients still suffer from lingering lung damage. Researchers aimed to assess whether inhaled aviptadil, a synthetic form of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), could improve lung function and speed up recovery for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Aviptadil has previously been studied in severe COVID-19 cases when administered intravenously, but its effects via inhalation had not been thoroughly investigated before this study.
How the Study Was Conducted
The study was designed as a multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial. A total of 80 adult patients hospitalized with COVID-19 pneumonia were enrolled across nine hospitals. These patients required oxygen support but were not in intensive care units. The participants were divided into two groups: one received standard COVID-19 treatment plus inhaled aviptadil, while the other received standard treatment plus a placebo. The treatment lasted between 7 to 14 days, depending on patient progress. The primary goal was to determine whether aviptadil reduced hospitalization time, while secondary goals included improvements in lung imaging, dyspnea (shortness of breath), and overall patient recovery.
Key Findings of the Study
The results of the study were promising. Patients who received inhaled aviptadil had an average hospitalization time of 7.8 days compared to 10 days for those who received the placebo. This difference was statistically significant, indicating that aviptadil contributed to faster recovery.
-Improved Breathing: On the seventh day of treatment, patients in the aviptadil group reported significantly lower dyspnea scores compared to the placebo group, meaning they experienced less difficulty breathing.
-Better Lung Health: Computed tomography (CT) scans showed that lung damage improved significantly in the aviptadil group by day 28 of treatment. The aviptadil-treated patients had lower lung damage scores compared to those in the placebo group.
-Lower Mortality Rate: Although the study was not primarily focused on mortality, it was observed that the death rate was lower in the aviptadil group (5.1%)
compared to the placebo group (12.2%).
-No Major Side Effects: Aviptadil was well tolerated, with no significant increase in adverse effects compared to the placebo. Some patients experienced minor side effects, such as elevated liver enzymes, but these were not considered severe.
Why This Matters
COVID-19 can cause long-term lung complications, even in patients who survive the acute phase of the disease. The ability of inhaled aviptadil to speed up recovery, improve breathing, and reduce lung damage suggests that it could become an important tool in treating COVID-19 pneumonia. Unlike intravenous aviptadil, which has been studied in critically ill patients with mixed results, inhaled aviptadil appears to be more effective at reaching the lungs directly, reducing the risk of severe side effects, and improving outcomes for moderately ill patients.
Future Research and Potential Applications
While these results are promising, further research is needed to confirm the long-term benefits of inhaled aviptadil. Larger phase III clinical trials are required to determine if this treatment should be widely adopted. If further studies validate these findings, inhaled aviptadil could be used not only for hospitalized COVID-19 patients but potentially as an outpatient treatment to prevent severe lung damage in high-risk individuals.
Conclusion
This study provides compelling evidence that inhaled aviptadil can help hospitalized COVID-19 patients recover faster, breathe easier, and experience less lung damage. It offers a promising new approach to managing COVID-19 pneumonia, particularly for patients who do not require intensive care but still need hospitalization. Given the global burden of COVID-19 and its long-term complications, treatments like inhaled aviptadil could play a vital role in reducing recovery times and improving patient outcomes. Further research will help solidify its place in COVID-19 treatment protocols.
The study findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal: Medical Principles and Practice.
https://karger.com/mpp/article/doi/10.1159/000543773/919771/Inhaled-Aviptadil-is-a-New-Hope-for-Recovery-of
For the latest COVID-19 News, keep on logging to Thailand
Medical News.
Read Also:
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/natural-compounds-help-reduce-lung-inflammation-and-improve-recovery-in-acute-lung-injury-and-ards
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/regulatory-t-cells-and-cytokines-in-post-covid-lung-damage-and-idiopathic-fibrosis
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/french-and-italian-researchers-unveil-the-role-of-caspase-1-in-covid-19-associated-lung-injury
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/favipiravir-that-was-used-to-treat-covid-19-actually-causes-lung-inflammation-lung-damage-and-lung-fibrosis
https://www.thailandmedical.news/news/canadian-study-unveils-the-uniqueness-of-covid-19-induced-acute-lung-injury
Share
Tweet
Share
