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NCT Number: NCT06511063

Antiviral Clinical Trial for Long Covid-19

The trial will test if two repurposed HIV antivirals can reduce symptom burden in adult participants with Long Covid compared to placebo. Viral infection and viral reactivation have been documented in Long Covid.

Participants will be randomly allocated to receive antivirals, Truvada (tenofovir disoproxil/emtricitabine, TDF/FTC, Group 1) or Selzentry (Group 2), or a placebo (pill) (Group 3), taken daily for 90 days.

Recruiting

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

The Cohen Center for Recovery from Complex Chronic Illnesses (CoRE)

New York, 10029, United States

Location status: Recruiting

Location contact

David Putrino

PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Mackenzie Doerstling, MPH

CONTACT

[email protected]

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • Provision of signed and dated informed consent form
  • Stated willingness to comply with all study procedures and availability for the duration of the study
  • Any gender, aged 18+
  • Diagnosed with:
  • Long Covid
  • Documented clinical history of confirmed or suspected acute SARS-CoV-2 infection a minimum of 6 months prior to contact with the study team
  • Formal diagnosis of Long Covid from a physician and a history of 6 months of Long COVID symptoms
  • At least a six-month history of one of the following symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection:
  • headache, memory loss, insomnia, mood disturbance, chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath, cough, muscle pains, joint pains, or GI upset] AND at least moderate fatigue (measured by Fatigue Severity Score) AND at least moderate post-exertional malaise (PEM) (measured by DePaul PEM screener)
  • Participants who are willing and able to comply with all data collection, treatment plan, laboratory tests, lifestyle considerations, and other study procedures.
  • Baseline EQ-VAS ≤70; EQ-VAS before the index infection ≥80 (this information is collected before randomization as part of the baseline survey).

Exclusion criteria

  • Pre-existing conditions including, but not limited to:
  • Autoimmune conditions such as Chronic EBV, Multiple Sclerosis, Hashimoto's Disease, etc. which would impact the immunological profiling analysis.
  • A pre-2020 diagnosis of another Post-Acute Infectious Syndrome such as Chronic Lyme disease, Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, etc.
  • Documented history of vaccine injury
  • Or any other chronic condition that has the potential to impact on immunological profiling, at the discretion of the research physician
  • HIV+ status
  • Current use of either Truvada or Selzentry
  • Taking a medication, within 6 weeks, with known interactions with Truvada or Selzentry including but not limited to: Acyclovir, valacyclovir, adefovir, cabozantinib, carbamazepine, cidofovir, cladribine, cobicistat, diclofenac, multiple NSAIDs or chronic high dose NSAIDs, fosphenytoin or phenytoin, ganciclovir, valganciclovir, oxcarbazepine, phenobarbital, primidone, rifabutin, rifampin, rifapentine, sofosbuvir, tipranavir, or other drugs that significantly affect renal function
  • Current treatment with drugs known to affect EBV replication, including but not limited to: Acyclovir, valacyclovir, ganciclovir, valganciclovir, famciclovir, teriflunomide, interferon
  • Known allergic reactions to components of Truvada or Selzentry
  • Febrile illness within the last 3 months of planned baseline evaluation
  • Treatment with another investigational drug or other investigational intervention within 6 months of planned baseline evaluation
  • Immunosuppressed individuals (transplant on antiviral prophylaxis and/or patients taking immunosuppressive medications such as steroids, etc.)
  • Known medical history of active liver disease (other than nonalcoholic hepatic steatosis), including chronic or active hepatitis B or C infection, primary biliary cirrhosis, Child-Pugh Class B or C, or acute liver failure
  • Receiving dialysis or have known renal impairment
  • Any comorbidity requiring hospitalization and/or surgery within 7 days prior to study entry, or that is considered life threatening within days prior to study entry, as determined by the study team
  • Other medical or psychiatric conditions, in the treating investigator's judgment, that makes the participant inappropriate for the study
  • Unknown HIV status (subjects must have completed HIV antigen/antibody and viral load testing completed at the screening visit)
  • Active or latent hepatitis B (subjects must have completed HBV serologies - HbsAg, anti-HBs, and anti-HBc - testing completed at the screening visit)
  • Current symptoms of severe, progressive, or uncontrolled renal, hematologic, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, cardiac, or neurologic disease, or other medical conditions that, in the opinion of the investigator, might place the subject at unacceptable risk for participation in this study
  • Creatinine clearance (CrCl) <75mL/min, as calculated by the Cockcroft-Gault equation
  • Any history of bone fractures not explained by trauma
  • Confirmed Grade 2 or greater hypophosphatemia
  • Any Grade 2 or greater toxicity on screening tests and assessments

Treatment and study plan

tenofovir disoproxil/emtricitabine

Drug

Participants will take Truvada (TDF/FTC, tenofovir disoproxil/emtricitabine) for 90 days.

Other names: TDF/FTC, Truvada

Selzentry

Drug

Participants will take Selzentry for 90 days.

Placebo

Drug

Matching placebo.

Primary outcomes

  1. EuroQol 5-Dimension 5-Level (EQ-5D-5L) Visual Analogue Scale

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The EQ-5D-5L is a standardized measure of health status that consists of 5 dimensions (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, anxiety/depression) each with 5 levels of severity, and a visual analogue scale (VAS) where individuals rate their overall health from 0 (worst imaginable health) to 100 (best imaginable health).

Secondary outcomes

  1. The EuroQol Five-Dimensional Health Questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The EQ-5D-5L is a validated, standardized, generic instrument that is a preference-based health- related quality of life questionnaire. The descriptive system comprises five dimensions: mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort and anxiety/depression. Each dimension has 5 levels: no problems, slight problems, moderate problems, severe problems and extreme problems. The patient is asked to indicate their health state by ticking the box next to the most appropriate statement in each of the five dimensions. This decision results in a 1-digit number that expresses the level selected for that dimension. The digits for the five dimensions can be combined into a 5-digit number that describes the patient's health state. Full scale from 5 to 25, with higher score indicating poorer health outcomes.

  2. Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29 (PROMIS-29)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The PROMIS-29 v2.0 profile assesses pain intensity using a single 0-10 numeric rating item and seven health domains (physical function, fatigue, pain interference, depressive symptoms, anxiety, ability to participate in social roles and activities, and sleep disturbance) using four items per domain. The values of all item responses are averaged to generate subscores for each dimension. From these subscores, a global physical health score and a global mental health score are generated. The scores are translated into T-scores according to a reference population with a mean of 50 and a standard deviation of 10.

  3. General Symptom Questionnaire (GSQ-30)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The General Symptom Questionnaire-30 (GSQ-30) is a valid and reliable instrument to assess symptom burden among patients with acute and post-treatment. The GSQ-30 total score ranges from 0 to 120, with higher scores indicating a greater symptom burden.

  4. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The PHQ-9 is a series of questions assessing presence and severity of depression symptoms. It evaluates each of the DSM-IV depression criteria and scores the responses from 0 ("Not at all") to 3 ("Nearly every day"). PHQ-9 scores of 5, 10, 15, and 20 represented mild, moderate, moderately severe, and severe depression, respectively. Full scale from 0-27, with higher score indicating more severe symptoms.

  5. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The GAD-7 is a 7-item scale developed and validated to identify generalized anxiety disorder and its severity. It assesses the frequency of 7 anxiety symptoms and scores the responses from 0 ("Not at all") to 3 ("Nearly every day"). Total scores of 5, 10, and 15 correspond to mild, moderate, and severe generalized anxiety disorder, respectively. Full scale from 0-21, with higher score indicating more symptoms.

  6. Neuro-QoL™ v2.0 Cognitive Function-Short Form

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The Neuro-QoL Cognitive Function v2.0 short form assesses perceived difficulties in cognitive abilities, including memory, attention, decision making, planning, organizing, calculating, remembering, and learning. The short form consists of 8 questions assessed on a 5-point Likert scale, resulting in a raw score range of 8 to 40. A raw score is then converted to a T-score using conversion tables. Scores 0.5 - 1.0 SD worse than the mean (T-score 40-45) = mild symptoms/impairment. Scores 1.0 - 2.0 SD worse than the mean (T-score 30-40) = moderate symptoms/impairment. Scores 2.0 SD or more worse than the mean (T-score below 30) = severe symptoms/impairment.

  7. Single-item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The SQS is a visual analog scale that instructs respondents to rate their overall quality of sleep over a 7-day recall period from 0 to 10. Scores of 0, 1, 4, 7, and 10 correspond to terrible, poor, fair, good, and excellent, respectively. Higher scores indicate better sleep quality.

  8. Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) uses a 7-point scale (1-7) to assess fatigue, with higher scores indicating greater severity, and a total score ranging from 9 to 63. Higher scores indicate more severe fatigue.

  9. Fatigue Visual Analogue Scale (F-VAS)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The F-VAS consists of 18 items related to fatigue and energy in a visual analogue scale from 0 to 100. A higher score indicates more fatigue.

  10. DePaul Post-Exertional Malaise Questionnaire (DSQ)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The DSQ is designed to evaluate 54 classic ME/CFS symptoms, including fatigue, post-exertional malaise, sleep, pain, neurological/cognitive impairments, and autonomic, neuroendocrine, and immune symptoms. Each symptom's frequency and intensity are rated on a 5-point scale (0-4). Frequency and severity scores are multiplied by 25, added together, and then divided by 2 to create a composite frequency/severity score for each symptom. These scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating a greater symptom burden.

  11. Composite Autonomic Symptom Score 31(COMPASS-31)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    The COMPASS-31 is a 31-question self-assessment instrument of autonomic symptoms and function that is up-to-date, broadly applicable, easy to administer in a short amount of time, and based on a scientific approach. The total score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater autonomic dysfunction.

  12. Pain Visual Analogue Scale (P-VAS)

    Time frame: at Screening, Day 60, Day 90, and Day 180

    Using a visual analogue scale, patients mark a point on a line representing a continuum from "no pain" to "worst pain," with scores ranging from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate greater pain.

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

David Putrino, PhD, PT

CONTACT

[email protected]

212-241-8454

Mackenzie Doerstling, MPH

CONTACT

[email protected]

212-241-8454

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

Other

Collaborators

  • PolyBio Research Foundation
  • Yale University

Registry information

Official study title

Investigating the Feasibility of Repurposing HIV Antivirals in Adults With Long Covid

Important dates

Study start
2024
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Jul 19, 2024
Registry last updated
Mar 13, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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