Prophylaxis for renal patients at risk of COVID-19 infection: results from the intranasal niclosamide randomised, double blinded, placebo controlled arm of the PROTECT-V platform trial
Abstract
Purpose: Despite vaccination, many patients remain vulnerable to COVID-19 infection and poorer outcomes, because of underlying health conditions resulting in sub-optimal vaccine responses. This study aims to demonstrate whether intranasal niclosamide confers additional protection against COVID-19 infection above standard preventative measures including vaccination.
Methods: PROTECT-V (PROphylaxis for paTiEnts at risk of COVID-19 infecTion) is a platform trial testing multiple pre-exposure COVID-19 prophylactic agents in vulnerable patients. This paper reports results from the randomised, double blind, placebo controlled intranasal niclosamide arm. 1651 adult patients on dialysis, with a kidney transplant or renal autoimmune conditions on immunosuppression were randomised from 48 sites (37 UK; 11 Indian). Intranasal niclosamide or matched placebo was administered twice daily, for up to nine months. Primary outcome was time to symptomatic COVID-19 infection.
Results: 1651 patients were randomised (826 niclosamide;825 placebo) between February 2021 to November 2022. 655(39.7%) were dialysis patients, 622(37.7%) kidney transplant recipients and 374(22.7%) had renal autoimmune disease. 97.5% patients in the UK and 66.4% patients in India with comparable proportions in both treatment groups had received COVID-19 vaccinations. Despite no adverse safety signal, there was a high withdrawal rate (40% niclosamide;23.8% placebo) due to local upper airway irritation leading to a significantly shorter treatment duration in the niclosamide group). Symptomatic COVID-19 infection during study treatment was observed in 103 patients in the niclosamide group and 133 in the placebo group (estimated hazard ratio 1.02(95%CI 0.79-1.32)).
Conclusion: Intranasal niclosamide did not reduce risk of symptomatic COVID-19 infection in this cohort compared to placebo.
Author
Humphrey, Toby J L
Qian, Wendi
Chen-Xu, Michael
Dowling, Francis
Gatley, Katrina
Adhikari, Rakshya
Hensman, Tracey
Stockley, Louise
Bassi, Abhinav
Bathla, Nikita
Dasgupta, Indranil
Dosanjh, Davinder P S
Jellingsø, Mads
Sørensen, Per
Jensen, Morten Lind
Callesen, Anne Weibel
Bradley, John R
Jha, Vivekanand
Sommer, Morten O A
Hiemstra, Thomas F
Smith, Rona M
Qian, Wendi
Chen-Xu, Michael
Dowling, Francis
Gatley, Katrina
Adhikari, Rakshya
Hensman, Tracey
Stockley, Louise
Bassi, Abhinav
Bathla, Nikita
Dasgupta, Indranil
Dosanjh, Davinder P S
Jellingsø, Mads
Sørensen, Per
Jensen, Morten Lind
Callesen, Anne Weibel
Bradley, John R
Jha, Vivekanand
Sommer, Morten O A
Hiemstra, Thomas F
Smith, Rona M
Date
2025-02-11
Type
Article
Subject
Kidney transplantation, Placebos, Renal dialysis, Kidney transplantation, Immunosuppression
Collections
Citation
Humphrey TJL, Qian W, Chen-Xu M, Dowling F, Gatley K, Adhikari R, Hensman T, Stockley L, Bassi A, Bathla N, Dasgupta I, Dosanjh DPS, Jellingsø M, Sørensen P, Jensen ML, Callesen AW, Bradley JR, Jha V, Sommer MOA, Hiemstra TF, Smith RM; PROTECT-V consortium. Prophylaxis for renal patients at risk of COVID-19 infection: results from the intranasal niclosamide randomised, double blinded, placebo controlled arm of the PROTECT-V platform trial. BMC Infect Dis. 2025 Feb 11;25(1):204. doi: 10.1186/s12879-025-10584-4.
Journal / Source Title
BMC infectious Diseases
DOI
10.1186/s12879-025-10584-4
PMID
39934669
Publisher
BioMed Central
Publisher’s URL
https://bmcinfectdis.biomedcentral.com/