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Bencheqroun H, Ahmed Y, Kocak M, Villa E, Barrera C, Mohiuddin M, Fortunet R, Iyoha E, Bates D, Okpalor C, Agbosasa O, Mohammed K, Pondell S, Mohamed A, Mohamed YI, Gok Yavuz B, Kaseb MO, Kasseb OO, Gocio MY, Tu PTM, Li D, Lu J, Selim A, Ma Q, Kaseb AO. A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Multicenter Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of ThymoQuinone Formula (TQF) for Treating Outpatient SARS-CoV-2. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11050551. [PMID: 35631072 PMCID: PMC9144779 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11050551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
There is an urgent need for an oral drug for the treatment of mild to moderate outpatient SARS-CoV-2. Our preclinical and clinical study’s aim was to determine the safety and preliminary efficacy of oral TQ Formula (TQF), in the treatment of outpatient SARS-CoV-2. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase 2 trial, we randomly assigned (1:1 ratio) non-hospitalized, adult (>18 years), symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 patients to receive oral TQF or placebo. The primary endpoints were safety and the median time-to-sustained-clinical-response (SCR). SCR was 6 days in the TQF arm vs. 8 days in the placebo arm (p = 0.77), and 5 days in the TQF arm vs. 7.5 days in the placebo arm in the high-risk cohort, HR 1.55 (95% CI: 0.70, 3.43, p = 0.25). No significant difference was found in the rate of AEs (p = 0.16). TQF led to a significantly faster decline in the total symptom burden (TSB) (p < 0.001), and a significant increase in cytotoxic CD8+ (p = 0.042) and helper CD4+ (p = 0.042) central memory T lymphocytes. TQF exhibited an in vitro inhibitory effect on the entry of five SARS-CoV-2 variants. TQF was well-tolerated. While the median time-to-SCR did not reach statistical significance; it was shorter in the TQF arm and preclinical/clinical signals of TQF activity across multiple endpoints were significant. Therefore, a confirmatory study is planned.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hassan Bencheqroun
- RESPIRE Clinical Research, Palm Springs, CA 92262, USA;
- Correspondence: (H.B.); (A.O.K.)
| | - Yasir Ahmed
- United Memorial Medical Center, Department of Research and Development, Houston, TX 77091, USA; (Y.A.); (C.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Mehmet Kocak
- Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, International School of Medicine, Istanbul Medipol University, 34810 Istanbul, Turkey;
| | | | - Cesar Barrera
- United Memorial Medical Center, Department of Research and Development, Houston, TX 77091, USA; (Y.A.); (C.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Mariya Mohiuddin
- United Memorial Medical Center, Department of Research and Development, Houston, TX 77091, USA; (Y.A.); (C.B.); (M.M.)
| | - Raul Fortunet
- RESPIRE Clinical Research, Palm Springs, CA 92262, USA;
| | - Emmanuel Iyoha
- Tranquil Clinical and Research Consulting Services, Houston, TX 77598, USA; (E.I.); (D.B.); (C.O.); (O.A.); (K.M.)
| | - Deborah Bates
- Tranquil Clinical and Research Consulting Services, Houston, TX 77598, USA; (E.I.); (D.B.); (C.O.); (O.A.); (K.M.)
| | - Chinedu Okpalor
- Tranquil Clinical and Research Consulting Services, Houston, TX 77598, USA; (E.I.); (D.B.); (C.O.); (O.A.); (K.M.)
| | - Ola Agbosasa
- Tranquil Clinical and Research Consulting Services, Houston, TX 77598, USA; (E.I.); (D.B.); (C.O.); (O.A.); (K.M.)
| | - Karim Mohammed
- Tranquil Clinical and Research Consulting Services, Houston, TX 77598, USA; (E.I.); (D.B.); (C.O.); (O.A.); (K.M.)
| | - Stephen Pondell
- Chemistry, Manufacturing and Controls Department, Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX 77054, USA;
| | - Amr Mohamed
- UH Seidman Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA;
| | - Yehia I. Mohamed
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.I.M.); (B.G.Y.)
| | - Betul Gok Yavuz
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.I.M.); (B.G.Y.)
| | - Mohamed O. Kaseb
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX 77598, USA; (M.O.K.); (O.O.K.); (M.Y.G.)
| | - Osama O. Kasseb
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX 77598, USA; (M.O.K.); (O.O.K.); (M.Y.G.)
| | - Michelle York Gocio
- Novatek Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Houston, TX 77598, USA; (M.O.K.); (O.O.K.); (M.Y.G.)
| | | | - Dan Li
- Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (D.L.); (Q.M.)
| | - Jianming Lu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007, USA;
- Codex BioSolutions Inc., Rockville, MD 20852, USA
| | - Abdulhafez Selim
- Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), Philadelphia, PA 19131, USA;
| | - Qing Ma
- Department of Hematopoietic Biology and Malignancy, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (D.L.); (Q.M.)
| | - Ahmed O. Kaseb
- Department of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (Y.I.M.); (B.G.Y.)
- Correspondence: (H.B.); (A.O.K.)
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