FEnofibRate as a Metabolic INtervention for COVID-19 (FERMIN)

March 22, 2023 updated by: Julio A. Chirinos, University of Pennsylvania

FEnofibRate as a Metabolic INtervention for Coronavirus Disease 2019

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoC-2), the virus responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is associated with a high incidence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and death. Aging, obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other risk factors associated with abnormal lipid and carbohydrate metabolism are risk factors for death in COVID-19. Recent studies suggest that COVID-19 progression is dependent on metabolic mechanisms. Moreover, gene expression analyses in cultured human bronchial cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 and lung tissue from patients with COVID-19, indicated a marked shift in cellular metabolism, with excessive intracellular lipid generation. In this cell culture system, fenofibrate (a widely available low-cost generic drug approved by the FDA and multiple other regulatory agencies around the world to treat dyslipemias) at concentrations that can be achieved clinically, markedly inhibited SARS-CoV-2 viral replication. Fenofibrate also has immunomodulatory effects that may be beneficial in the setting of COVID-19. The aim of this trial is to assess the clinical impact of fenofibrate (145 mg/d of Tricor or dose-equivalent preparations for 10 days, with dose adjustment in chronic kidney disease ([CKD]) to improve clinical outcomes in patients with COVID-19.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

701

Phase

  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Pennsylvania
      • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
        • University of Pennsylvania Health System

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • A diagnosis of COVID-19, based on: (a) A compatible clinical presentation with a positive laboratory test for SARS-CoV-2, or (b) Considered by the primary team to be a Person Under Investigation undergoing testing for COVID-19 with a high clinical probability, in addition to compatible pulmonary infiltrates on chest x-ray (bilateral, intersticial or ground glass opacities) or chest CT.
  • Able to provide informed consent.
  • Fewer than 14 days since symptom onset.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Known pregnancy or breastfeeding
  • Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) <30 mL/min/1.73m2 or undergoing dialysis (CKD stages 4-5).
  • History of active liver disease, cholelithiasis, uncontrolled hypothyroidism, or rhabdomyolysis (suspected or confirmed). Patients with a history of hypothyroidism receiving a stable dose of thyroid replacement therapy for at least 6 weeks, with a documented normal TSH (primary hypothyroidism) or free thyroxine (secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism) level at least 6 weeks after the last dose change will be considered eligible for enrollment.
  • Known hypersensitivity to fenofibrate or fenofibric acid.
  • Ongoing treatment with fenofibrate, clofibrate, warfarin and other coumarin anticoagulants, glimepiride, cyclosporine, tacrolimus
  • Use of statins other than simvastatin, pravastatin or atorvastatin ≤40 mg/d or rosuvastatin ≤20 mg/d
  • Prisoners/incarcerated individuals
  • Inability to read, write or no access to a smart phone, computer or tablet device
  • Intubated patients.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

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

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Fenofibrate + Usual Care
The randomized intervention will be Fenofibrate, in combination with usual care. Dosing: 145 mg of Tricor or a dose-equivalent preparation
The randomized intervention will be fenofibrate (Tricor) at a dose of 145 mg/d or dose-equivalent preparation of fenofibrate or fenofibric acid, for 10 days. In all cases, appropriate dose reductions will be implemented for patients with chronic kidney disease as per the approved preparation label. The intended duration of randomized treatment will be for 10 days.
All participants will otherwise receive usual medical care
Placebo Comparator: Placebo + Usual Care
The randomized intervention will a matching placebo, in combination with usual care.
All participants will otherwise receive usual medical care
The control intervention will be a placebo, for 10 days.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Primary Hierarchical Composite Endpoint
Time Frame: 30 days
The primary endpoint of the trial is a global rank score that ranks patient outcomes according to 5 factors. The global rank score, or global severity score, is a nonparametric, hierarchically ranked outcome. The global rank score was generated by ranking all 701 participants on a scale of 1 to 701, from worst to best clinical outcomes. Participants were ranked by (1) time to death; (2) the number of days supported by invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); (3) The inspired concentration of oxygen/percent oxygen saturation (FiO2/SpO2) ratio area under the curve; (4) For participants enrolled as outpatients who are subsequently hospitalized, the number of days out of the hospital during the 30 day-period following randomization; (5) For participants enrolled as outpatients who don't get hospitalized during the 30-day observation period, the modified Borg dyspnea scale
30 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Number of Days Alive, Out of the Intensive Care Unit, Free of Mechanical Ventilation/Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation, or Maximal Available Respiratory Support in the 30 Days Following Randomization
Time Frame: Up to 30 days
Number of days participants were alive, out of the intensive care unit, free of mechanical ventilation/extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or maximal available respiratory support during the 30 days that followed randomization
Up to 30 days
Seven-category Ordinal Scale
Time Frame: At 15 days
A seven-category ordinal scale consisting of the following categories: 1, not hospitalized with resumption of normal activities; 2, not hospitalized, but unable to resume normal activities; 3, hospitalized, not requiring supplemental oxygen; 4, hospitalized, requiring supplemental oxygen; 5, hospitalized, requiring nasal high-flow oxygen therapy, noninvasive mechanical ventilation, or both; 6, hospitalized, requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), invasive mechanical ventilation, or both; and 7, death.
At 15 days
Secondary Hierarchical Composite Endpoint
Time Frame: Up to 30 days
The secondary global rank score, or global severity score, is a nonparametric, hierarchically ranked outcome. The global rank score was generated by ranking all 701 participants on a scale of 1 to 701, from worst to best clinical outcomes. Participants were ranked by (1) time to death; (2) the number of days supported by invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); (3) The inspired concentration of oxygen/percent oxygen saturation (FiO2/SpO2) ratio area under the curve; (4) For participants enrolled as outpatients who are subsequently hospitalized, the number of days out of the hospital during the 30 day-period following randomization; (5) For participants enrolled as outpatients who don't get hospitalized during the 30-day observation period, a COVID-19 symptom scale rating fever, cough, dyspnea, muscle aches, sore throat, loss of smell or taste, headache, diarrhea, fatigue, nausea/vomiting, chest pain (each are rated from 0-10 then summed).
Up to 30 days

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
All-Cause Death
Time Frame: Up to 30 days
Death from any cause during the observation period
Up to 30 days
Number of Days Alive and Out of the Hospital During the 30 Days Following Randomization
Time Frame: Up to 30 days
Number of days that participants were alive and out of the hospital during the 30 days following randomization
Up to 30 days
Exploratory Hierarchical Composite Endpoint
Time Frame: Up to 30 days
The exploratory global rank score, or global severity score, is a nonparametric, hierarchically ranked outcome. The global rank score was generated by ranking all 701 participants on a scale of 1 to 701, from worst to best clinical outcomes. Participants were ranked by (1) time to death; (2) the number of days supported by invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO); (3) The inspired concentration of oxygen/percent oxygen saturation (FiO2/SpO2) ratio area under the curve; (4) The number of days out of the hospital during the 30 day-period following randomization.
Up to 30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

August 18, 2020

Primary Completion (Actual)

March 30, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

March 30, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

August 17, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

August 17, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

August 18, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 24, 2023

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 22, 2023

Last Verified

March 1, 2023

More Information

Terms related to this study

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

Not making it available

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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