Study of Oral High/Low-dose Cepharanthine Compared With Placebo in Non Hospitalized Adults With COVID-19

Screening participants will sign the appropriate informed consent form (ICF) prior to completion of any study procedures.

Patients will be randomized to one of three arms, all participants will receive standardized medical treatment (SMT) according to Scheme for Diagnosis and Treatment of 2019 Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (The 9th Trial Edition) from health commission of China, including bed rest, adequate energy and nutrition, pay attention to water and electrolyte balance to maintain a stable internal environment, closely monitor and Chinese traditional medicine, etc.

• low-dose experimental arm：cepharanthine 60mg/day + SMT
• high-dose experimental arm：cepharanthine 120mg/day + SMT
• placebo control arm：placebo + SMT

The primary outcome measure is the time to viral clearance which defined as first positive nucleic acid test to the date of the first negative test (in two consecutive point). SARS-CoV-2 viral load was detected and quantified by RT-PCR using nasopharyngeal swabs . Ct value>35 for both ORF1ab and N gene was considered as negativity.

Inclusion criteria

• aged over 16 years old with all genders
• SARS-CoV-2 positive（laboratory-confirmed reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT PCR) test)
• patient or immediate adult family member agrees to participate in this study and signs an informed consent form
• asymptomatic or patients with mild covid-19 symptoms
• confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection within 5 days prior to randomization

Exclusion criteria

• Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection within > 5 days prior to randomization
• CT shows pneumonia on admission
• diagnosed as severe or critical COVID-19 before intervention
• has a history of chronic underlying disease and acute exacerbation of that underlying disease at the time of admission
• Females who are pregnant or breastfeeding