Vitamin C Infusion for the Treatment of Severe 2019-nCoV Infected Pneumonia

Vitamin C Infusion for the Treatment of Severe 2019-nCoV Infected Pneumonia: a Prospective Randomized Clinical Trial

2019 new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) infected pneumonia, namely severe acute respiratory infection (SARI) has caused global concern and emergency. There is a lack of effective targeted antiviral drugs, and symptomatic supportive treatment is still the current main treatment for SARI.

Vitamin C is significant to human body and plays a role in reducing inflammatory response and preventing common cold. In addtion, a few studies have shown that vitamin C deficiency is related to the increased risk and severity of influenza infections.

We hypothize that Vitamin C infusion can help improve the prognosis of patients with SARI. Therefore, it is necessary to study the clinical efficacy and safety of vitamin C for the clinical management of SARI through randomized controlled trials during the current epidemic of SARI.

Study Overview

• Status: Terminated
• Conditions: Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated; Vitamin C
• Intervention / Treatment: Drug: VC; Drug: Sterile Water for Injection

Detailed Description

At the end of 2019, patients with unexplained pneumonia appeared in Wuhan, China. At 21:00 on January 7, 2020, a new coronavirus was detected in the laboratory, and the detection of pathogenic nucleic acids was completed at 20:00 on January 10. Subsequently, the World Health Organization officially named the new coronavirus that caused the pneumonia epidemic in Wuhan as 2019 new coronavirus (2019-nCoV), and the pneumonia was named severe acute respiratory infection (SARI). Up to February 4, 2020, over 20000 cases have been diagnosed in China, 406 of which have died, and 154 cases have been discovered in other countries around the world. Most of the deaths were elderly patients or patients with severe underlying diseases. SARI has caused global concern and emergency.

Statistics of the 41 patients with SARI published in JAMA initially showed that 13 patients were transferred into the ICU, of which 11 (85%) had ARDS and 3 (23%) had shock. Of these, 10 (77%) required mechanical ventilation support, and 2 (15%) required ECMO support. Of the above 13 patients, 5 (38%) eventually died and 7 (38%) were transferred out of the ICU. Viral pneumonia is a dangerous condition with a poor clinical prognosis. For most viral infections, there is a lack of effective targeted antiviral drugs, and symptomatic supportive treatment is still the current main treatment.

Vitamin C, also known as ascorbic acid, has antioxidant properties. When sepsis happens, the cytokine surge caused by sepsis is activated, and neutrophils in the lungs accumulate in the lungs, destroying alveolar capillaries. Early clinical studies have shown that vitamin C can effectively prevent this process. In addition, vitamin C can help to eliminate alveolar fluid by preventing the activation and accumulation of neutrophils, and reducing alveolar epithelial water channel damage. At the same time, vitamin C can prevent the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, which is a biological event of vascular injury caused by neutrophil activation. Vitamins can effectively shorten the duration of the common cold. In extreme conditions (athletes, skiers, art workers, military exercises), it can effectively prevent the common cold. And whether vitamin C also has a certain protective effect on influenza patients, only few studies have shown that vitamin C deficiency is related to the increased risk and severity of influenza infections. In a controlled but non-randomized trial, 85% of the 252 students treated experienced a reduction in symptoms in the high-dose vitamin C group (1g / h at the beginning of symptoms for 6h, followed by 3 * 1g / day). Among patients with sepsis and ARDS, patients in the high-dose vitamin group did not show a better prognosis and other clinical outcomes. There are still some confounding factors in the existing research, and the conclusions are different.

Therefore, during the current epidemic of SARI, it is necessary to study the clinical efficacy and safety of vitamin C for viral pneumonia through randomized controlled trials.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 56
• Phase: Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Hubei
    • Wuhan, Hubei, China, 430000
      • Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 14 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. ≥ 18 years old;
2. Diagnosed as serious or critical SARI (according to the 4th version of Diagnosis and Clinical management of 2019-nCoV infected pneumonia);
3. Being treated in the ICU.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Allergic to vitamin C;
2. Dyspnea due to cardiogenic pulmonary edema;
3. Pregnant or breastfeeding;
4. Expected life is less than 24 hours;
5. There is a state of tracheotomy or home oxygen therapy in the past;
6. Previously complicated with end-stage lung disease, end-stage malignancy, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, diabetic ketoacidosis, and active kidney stone disease;
7. The patient participates in another clinical trial at the same time.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: VC; 12g Vitamin C+sterile water for injection; total volume: 50ml. 12ml/h; infusion pump；q12h.	Drug: VC; 12g Vitamin C will be infused in the experimental group twice a day for 7 days by the infusion pump with a speed of 12ml/h.; Other Names: Vitamin C
Placebo Comparator: Sterile water for injection; 50ml water for injection. 12ml/h; infusion pump; q12h.	Drug: Sterile Water for Injection; 50ml sterile water for injection will be infused in the placebo comparator group twice a day for 7 days by the infusion pump with a speed of 12ml/h.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Ventilation-free days	days without ventilation support during 28 days after patients' enrollment	on the day 28 after enrollment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
28-days mortality	wether the patient survives	on the day 28 after enrollment
ICU length of stay	days of the patients staying in the ICU	on the day 28 after enrollment
Demand for first aid measuments	the rate of CPR	on the day 28 after enrollment
Vasopressor days	days of using vasopressors	on the day 28 after enrollment
Respiratory indexes	P O2/Fi O2 which reflects patients' respiratory function	on the day 10 and 28 after enrollment
Ventilator parameters	Ecmo or ventilator	on the day 10 and 28 after enrollment
APACHE II scores	Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation	on the day 10 after enrollment
SOFA scores	Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment	on the day 10 after enrollment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: ZhiYong Peng

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Liu F, Zhu Y, Zhang J, Li Y, Peng Z. Intravenous high-dose vitamin C for the treatment of severe COVID-19: study protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2020 Jul 8;10(7):e039519. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-039519.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): February 14, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 2, 2020
• Study Completion (Actual): March 29, 2020

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 4, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 8, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): February 11, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): October 12, 2020
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: October 8, 2020
• Last Verified: October 1, 2020

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Vitamin C; 2019-novel coronavirus pneumonia; Severe acute respiratory infection
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Virus Diseases; Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Lung Diseases; Disease Attributes; Cross Infection; Iatrogenic Disease; Healthcare-Associated Pneumonia; Pneumonia; Pneumonia, Viral; Pneumonia, Ventilator-Associated
• Other Study ID Numbers: 2020001

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No