Early nitazoxanide therapy significantly reduces viral load in Covid-19: Study

Brazil: Early nitazoxanide therapy is safe and helps in a significant reduction of viral load in patients with mild Covid-19, suggests a recent study in medRxiv. However, it did not help in symptom resolution compared to placebo after 5 days of therapy.

The antiparasitic drug nitazoxanide is available widely and exerts broad-spectrum antiviral activity in vitro. However, there is no evidence of its impact on SARS-CoV-2 infection. The multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial by Patricia R. M. Rocco, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and colleagues enrolled adult patients who presented up to 3 days after onset of Covid-19 symptoms (dry cough, fever, and/or fatigue)

Patients were randomized in the ratio 1:1 to receive either nitazoxanide (500 mg) or placebo, TID, for 5 days. 

The primary outcome was complete resolution of symptoms. Secondary outcomes were viral load, general laboratory tests, serum biomarkers of inflammation, and hospitalization rate. Adverse events were also assessed. From June 8 to August 20, 2020, 1,575 patients were screened. Of these, 392 (198 placebo, 194 nitazoxanide) were analyzed.