A medicine meant to treat coeliac disease, an autoimmune ailment mostly affecting the small intestine, has showed potential for infants suffering from severe post-Covid syndrome, according to a small research. Covid infection, albeit uncommon in children, causes multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a dangerous illness characterized by high fevers, gastrointestinal symptoms, and potentially fatal heart damage. The research results, published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, demonstrated that larazotide helped children resume to regular activities more quickly after Covid. “While our study is small, its results are powerful and have implications not only for MIS-C, but potentially for long-term Covid,” said lead author Lael Yonker, co-director of the Mass General Brigham Cystic Fibrosis Center.
“Our findings show that larazotide is both safe and effective in relieving symptoms in children with MIS-C. We are presently undertaking clinical trials to investigate if larazotide may also be utilized to treat those with prolonged Covid,” Yonker stated. Current MIS-C therapies are limited. Some patients are given generic anti-inflammatory medications, although many report a recurrence of symptoms after finishing a course. These medications are not intended to target the sticky SARS-CoV-2 virus particles that may remain in the stomach.
Larazotide, on the other hand, is an orally taken drug that targets the stomach and improves intestinal barriers to decrease the quantity of materials that depart the intestines and enter the bloodstream, such as SARS-CoV-2 virus particles. Researchers performed a double-blind clinical experiment with 12 children suffering from early-stage MIS-C to assess the effectiveness and safety of larazotide as a MIS-C therapy. Each patient was randomly randomized to receive either a placebo or larazotide four times per day for 21 days before being observed for six months of recovery.
