Aspirin Joins the UK's Randomized Evaluation of Covid-19 Therapy Drug Trials

Earlier this year, the United Kingdom launched the Randomized Evaluation of Covid-19 Therapy (RECOVERY), including more than 16,000 patients across 176 hospitals. They recently announced plans to include aspirin as an additional drug treatment in the RECOVERY trials due to its anti-clotting properties.

Many patients with severe cases have been observed to experience blood clotting, typically due to underlying conditions such as cardiovascular conditions. Aspirin can be used as an antiplatelet agent to reduce the risk of blood clots with Covid-19 patients.

Professor Peter Horby said that aspirin is an important addition to the trials because it is safe, inexpensive, widely available, and may be beneficial for critically ill patients. The trials will help determine if the 160-year-old drug can be used as an effective treatment. At least 2,000 patients will randomly receive 150 milligrams of aspirin added to their standard treatment every day.

Professor Martin Landray explained how aspirin is used to treat various conditions associated with blood clots such as stroke and heart attack. The results will also reveal "whether there are clear benefits for patients with COVID-19 and whether those benefits outweigh any potential side effects such as the risk of bleeding."

Blood Clots in Covid-19 Patients

Earlier in July, researchers published a study linking coronavirus and leg blood clots or thrombosis, resulting in leg ischemia. Blood clots in the pulmonary arteries (lungs) were already established earlier on.

Dr. Inessa Goldman explained that leg ischemia associated with coronavirus resulted in a high percentage of amputation or death. Patients with both coronavirus and thrombosis increased the risk of damaged artery lining and other immune reactions.

In another study, autopsies of coronavirus patients revealed thrombosis in the kidney and heart as well. A prominent finding in the patients, while they were alive, was diffuse alveolar damage or the body's response to lung tissue.

Professor Beverly Hunt from Thrombosis UK explained that Covid-19 causes the blood to be sticky, resulting in deep-vein thrombosis. The researchers from Imperial College London recommended that blood-thinning medication can be added to the treatment of Covid-19 patients.

Other Drug and Traditional Treatments

At the moment, the other treatments in the RECOVERY trial include the antibiotic Azithromycin, an injectable anti-inflammatory drug called Tocilizumab, and convalescent plasma from recovered donors. Regeneron also developed an anti-viral antibody cocktail called REGN-COV2.

The team will also be measuring the mortality rate after four weeks. Those who are allergic to aspirin or already have major bleeding will not be included in the trial.

Other drug treatments have included the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine, the FDA-approved remdesivir, and steroids. The World Health Organization also recently endorsed a protocol for phase three clinical trials of herbal medicine for coronavirus.

Dr. Prosper Tumusiime from WHO Africa said, "sound science is the sole basis for safe and effective traditional medicine therapies." Both Ebola and Covid-19 outbreaks in Africa have highlighted the need for advanced research in drug treatments, including traditional medicine, he said.

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