Deferasirox on COVID-19: safety and efficacy of iron-chelating therapy. A multicentric, randomized, triple blinded study

Abstract

Background and Rationale: SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, can cause a multitude of health effects. One of the registered effects of COVID-19 is hyperferritinemia due to an excess of necrotic cells and mitochondrial load spread, generating high levels of iron and ferritin. Deferasirox (Exjade®), an iron-chelating agent, has been proposed to treat COVID-19 patients with hyperferritinemia. The objective of this investigation is to submit estimations with high levels of fidelity about the effect of the treatment and the severity of the patients administered the drug blindly in a cohort of hospitals in the city of Santiago, Dominican Republic.

Methods: Multicentric study, randomized, triple-blind of parallel groups to evaluate the effects of Deferasirox and standard therapy in patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and hyperferritinemia versus therapy standard for COVID-19. A sample of 94 participants (47 in each group) is necessary to detect the effects of the treatment measured as progressing and becoming severe while being hospitalized.

Discussion: Clinical evidence has shown the efficacy and safety of Deferasirox and its use in admitted patients with COVID-19 and hyperferritinemia. Based on this, by executing a retrospective analysis, the authors of this protocol Performed a successful security analysis in Deferasirox patients, noticing that their mortality was not greater, avoiding severity and also suggesting an improvement in the biomarkers.

Keywords: Deferasirox, COVID-19, Hyperferritinemia