Nitazoxanide as an early treatment to reduce the intensity of COVID‑19 outbreaks among health personnel

Abstract

The use of nitazoxanide has previously yielded successful results in vitro against the coronavirus. The aim of the present study was to examine the efficacy of the use of nitazoxanide at an early stage among healthcare workers exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19. This was a prospective study carried out in 2020. Healthcare personnel who presented with COVID-19 symptoms, in different 3 hospitals were invited to take Paramix (nitazoxanide), 500 mg orally, every 6 h for 2 days and then 500 mg twice a day for 4 days. To compare the hospitalization percentage, a group of healthcare workers with a respiratory viral infection without COVID-19 criteria were also followed-up. Over a period of 3 months, 150 healthcare workers (111 women and 39 men) presented respiratory symptoms with COVID-19 criteria (mean age, 36±10.6 years; range, 18-68 years). Only one female medical doctor, one nurse and one male from the auxiliary services had to be hospitalized and one death was registered It was thus concluded that nitazoxanide yielded successful results in vitro against previous coronavirus and may prove to be useful against SARS-CoV-2 as an early intervention to avoid complications, decreasing the expected number of hospitalizations among infected healthcare workers.

NSAIDs/Nitazoxanide/Azithromycin Immunomodulatory Protocol Used in Adults, Children and Pregnant COVID-19 Patients: An Egyptian Prospective Observational Study.

“…Similarly, a small randomized, placebo-controlled trial involving mild COVID-19 patients showed that early nitazoxanide significantly eliminated; 29.9% of patients in the nitazoxanide arm versus 18.2% in the placebo arm (p=0.009) and reduced viral load (p=0.006) as compared to placebo with no serious adverse events and at the 1-week follow-up, 78% in the nitazoxanide arm versus 57% in the placebo arm reported complete resolution of symptoms (p=0.048) [33] and later it was published [34]. Recently, a prospective study has also suggested that early use of nitazoxanide might decrease COVID-19 complications among healthcare personnel [35].…”

NSAIDs/Nitazoxanide/Azithromycin Immunomodulatory Protocol Used in Adult, Geriatric, Pediatric, Pregnant, and Immunocompromised COVID-19 Patients: A Real-World Experience

“…Furthermore,78% of patients in the nitazoxanide arm versus 57% in the placebo arm showed complete resolution of symptoms after 1-week follow-up (p = 0.048) [33,34]. Moreover, A prospective study has recently suggested that early use of nitazoxanide might decrease COVID-19 complications among healthcare personnel [35].…”

Non-steroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)/nitazoxanide/azithromycin Potential Beneficial COVID-19 Effects: Preventing the Cytokine Storm via Mitigation of the Interleukin-6 Amplifier and Monocytic Immunological Dysrhythmia.

“…Importantly, we would like to mention that we have previously, on April 2020, suggested a pioneering combination of the FDA approved inexpensive drugs; nitazoxanide/azithromycin to be used for early COVID-19 management basing on a hypothesis attributing their potential benefit to the ability to augment and restore our natural interferon homeostasis [18]. Later, some clinical studies started to prove the validity of our recommendation for this combination [19][20][21]. Interestingly, nitazoxanide was shown to inhibit the production of several pro-inflammatory cytokines including IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α in peripheral blood mononuclear cells [22] and it was also shown, in an in vivo murine model and macrophage cell line, to decrease IL-6 production induced by thioglycollate and lipopolysaccharide, respectively to be suggested as a promising lead drug for diseases associated with overproduction of IL-6 [12] and for its anti-IL-6 properties and other potential effects, nitazoxanide was suggested to be tested, either acting alone or as coadjuvant, in the treatment of ovarian carcinoma [23].…”