Alliance for Pandemic Preparedness

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Topic: Testing and Treatment


June 4, 2021

Nasal Delivery of an IgM Offers Broad Protection from SARS-CoV-2 Variants

A novel, engineered immunoglobulin M (IgM) intranasally delivered neutralizing antibody demonstrated superior neutralizing activity against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants in mice, including B.1.1.7 (Delta), P.1 (Gamma), and B.1.351 (Beta). The IgM antibody therapy was >230-fold more potent in reducing SARS-CoV-2 lung viral load than IgG neutralizing antibodies currently in use, to which variants of concern are…


June 3, 2021

Performance of Self-Collected Saliva Testing Compared with Nasopharyngeal Swab Testing for the Detection of SARS-CoV-2

There was high correlation in the SARS-CoV-2 viral load measurements from paired self-collected pure saliva (SCPS) and nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) from asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic patients with confirmed COVID-19 (r=0.72; n=31). SCPS performance was more similar to NPS among samples obtained from symptomatic adults, with 74% of samples in agreement. Carrouel et al. (May 12, 2021)….


Effect of Bamlanivimab vs Placebo on Incidence of COVID-19 Among Residents and Staff of Skilled Nursing and Assisted Living Facilities

Preventive treatment with the monoclonal antibody bamlanivimab reduced the risk of COVID-19 among residents and staff of skilled nursing facilities (n=966) who were negative for SARS-CoV-2 infection and seronegative at baseline in a randomized trial (8.5% vs 15.2%, OR=0.43 95% CI 0.28-0.68). All 5 deaths occurred in residents randomized to receive placebo. Participants were enrolled…


June 1, 2021

Colchicine for Community-Treated Patients with COVID-19 (COLCORONA): A Phase 3, Randomised, Double-Blinded, Adaptive, Placebo-Controlled, Multicentre Trial

The anti-inflammatory drug colchicine did not change the rate of hospital admission or death related to COVID-19 (a composite endpoint) in a phase 3 double-blind placebo-controlled trial among non-hospitalized patients diagnosed with COVID-19 either by PCR testing or clinical criteria (OR=0.79, 95%CI: 0.61-1.03). The primary endpoint occurred in 4.7% (104 of 2,235) patients in the…


May 26, 2021

Multiplexed Detection of SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Infections in High Throughput by SARSeq

A novel molecular test for detection of SARS-CoV-2 called SARSeq (saliva analysis by RNA sequencing) demonstrated sensitivity approximately equal to existing RT-PCR tests, high specificity, and low cost while utilizing equipment available in most molecular biology facilities. The test can be run on up to 36,000 samples in parallel with a turnaround time of 12-24…


Feasibility and Utility of Rapid Antigen Testing for COVID-19 in a University Residence a Cross Sectional Study

[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] An evaluation of a rapid testing program among 1141 resident students and staff at a university in British Columbia found that the use of rapid antigen tests was feasible, inexpensive, and increased sensitivity for detection of active SARS-CoV-2 infections. The testing program utilized the BD Veritor COVID-19 rapid antigen test and participants…


Ivermectin for the Treatment of COVID-19 A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A systematic review and meta-analysis (n = 10 studies, n = 1,173 patients) of randomized controlled trials found that the use of ivermectin for treatment of COVID-19 did not reduce all-cause mortality, length of hospitalization, adverse events, or viral clearance. Trials of ivermectin for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in…


SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Testing in Healthcare Workers a Comparison of the Clinical Performance of Three Commercially Available Antibody Assays

[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A comparison of commercially available SARS-CoV-2 antibody assays found that the Roche Anti-SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid Total Antibody test (Roche) detected antibodies for at least seven months after confirmed natural infection with while sensitivity of the Abbott Anti-SARS-CoV-2 anti-nucleocapsid IgG (Abbott) declined over time. Among serum samples from healthcare workers (N=5,788) with previously confirmed…


May 25, 2021

Effectiveness of Tocilizumab in Patients Hospitalized With COVID-19

The IL-6 inhibitor tocilizumab was not associated with a reduction in 90-day mortality (HR=0.64, 95%CI 0.25-1.65) in a follow-up of a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 who were receiving oxygen but did not require high-flow or mechanical ventilation (n=130). However, in a subgroup analysis including participants with baseline C-reactive protein levels greater…


May 24, 2021

Clinical and Experimental Factors That Affect the Reported Performance Characteristics of Rapid Testing for SARS-CoV-2

[Pre-print, not peer-reviewed] A systematic review (n = 83 studies) of the diagnostic accuracy of SARS-CoV-2 rapid antigen lateral flow testing (RALFT) compared to RT-qPCR among symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals found the overall sensitivity for RALFT was 75%, and the sensitivity was higher among symptomatic individuals. Viral load was the most important factor for test…



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