POSSIBILITIES FOR PREVENTION AND PATHOGENETIC THERAPY OF NOVEL CORONAVIRUS INFECTION

COVID-19 is accompanied by an imbalance of the immune response with severe macrophage activation syndrome, which creates the possibility of using drugs that affect the regulation of macrophage functions. Objective. To estimate the efficacy of the immunomodulator aminodihydrophthalazinedione sodium (galavit) for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Subjects and methods. The investigation was conducted in 2 stages. At Stage 1, a total of 115 healthcare workers were followed up for 1 month. A study group (n = 68) took aminodihydrophthalazinedione sodium (galavit) as a prophylactic drug; a comparison group (n = 47) did not receive the drug. Weekly PCR assay of nasopharyngeal/ oropharyngeal swabs could determine the timing of SARS-CoV-2 infection, depending on the prophylactic cycle. At Stage 2, to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the drug, a follow-up was made in 76 healthcare workers who were on outpatient treatment with a laboratorially confirmed diagnosis of moderate COVID-19, of whom 46 patients (a study group) had Galavit in the combination therapy and 30 (a comparison group) received standard therapy. The serum levels of IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-а, and IFN-а in novel coronavirus infection (NCI) were studied. Results. During the follow-up period at Stage 1, there were 14 (20.5%) and 22 (46.8%) persons were infected in the study and comparison groups, respectively. The asymptomatic and mild courses of the infection were observed in 10 (71.4%) patients of the study group); its mild course was seen in 4 (18.1%) patients of the comparison group. At Stage 2 of the investigation, the study group patients with NCI were recorded to have a statistically significant (p < 0.01) stabilization of cytokines, normalization of laboratory inflammatory markers and complete blood cell counts, and a more obvious regression of lung damage, as evidenced by chest CT. Conclusion. The preventive therapy cycle with aminodihydrophthalazinedione sodium showed a pronounced effect of the drug in reducing the risk of infection and preventing severe NCI. Immunomodulatory therapy with aminodihydrophthalazinedione sodium that has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and immunomodulatory effects is accompanied by the early relief of clinical symptoms of NCI, normalization of laboratory data, and significant stabilization of cytokine system parameters.

COVID-19, COVID-19, moderate course, prevention, immunomodulator, cytokines, galavit