Assessment of the Clinical Effectiveness of a Herbal Extract (Cretan IAMA) in Patients With Viral Respiratory Infections, Including COVID-19, in Primary Healthcare Settings, and Co-assessment of Its Prophylactic Effect in People Cohabiting With These Patients

Cretan IAMA (CAPeo) is an essential oil mixture of three native herbs of Crete (Thymbra capitata (L.) Cav., Salvia fruticosa Mill. and Origanum dictamnus L.), which exhibits remarkable in vitro antiviral activity against Influenza A & B and the Human Rhinovirus HRV-14 strains, decreasing the symptoms of upper respiratory tract viral infections. It has also been proven safe in experimental animals and humans. There is currently a strong unmet medical need for safe and effective therapeutic regimens for patients in ambulatory settings. Given its properties, it was, therefore, deemed both appropriate and urgent to explore its potential in the context of COVID-19 for patients in primary care settings. It was also deemed important to investigate the Cretan IAMA (CAPeo) regarding prophylactic treatment for people coming in close contact with these ambulatory patients.

• Single-arm, open label (proof-of-concept) study to assess the potential of Cretan IAMA (CAPeo) benefit of COVID-19 as a therapeutic and prophylactic agent
• VRI/COVID-19 patients seeking primary health care services at home
• SARS-CoV-2 infection testing by real-time RT-PCR, performed in the regional COVID-19 reference centre (Laboratory of Clinical Virology, University of Crete, School of Medicine)
• Cretan IAMA (CAPeo) to be administered in the form of two 0.5 ml soft capsules, in a concentration of 15 ml/L, daily for two weeks (14 days), per os
• Data collection on Day 1 (baseline), Day 4, Day 7 and Day 14

Inclusion criteria

• For the patients:

• Any woman or man requesting a home visit and having symptoms characteristic of viral infection, with initial manifestation within the previous 48-72 hrs. Such symptoms may include sudden fever onset, accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms: dry cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, headache, musculoskeletal pain, perspiration, fatigue, malaise, blurry vision, loss of the sense of smell.
• For the people cohabiting with patients:

• Any woman or man cohabiting with study patients.

Exclusion criteria

• Children and adolescents under the age of 18 years;
• Pregnant women;
• Persons suffering from a pre-existing condition preventing them from autonomously providing informed consent.