The researchers assessed the long-term risk of death in their follow-up study, the CounterCOVID study. A total of 385 seriously ill corona patients were included. Some of them received 400mg of imatinib daily for ten days, with a starting dose of 800mg on the first day. The others were given a placebo.
The patients were followed for 90 days. The researchers found that the risk of death in the group that received imatinib is 52% lower than in the placebo group. The imatinib group also appeared to require less intensive artificial respiration in the first two weeks and to be able to take up oxygen again independently. The results of the study have been published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine.
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The tyrosine kinase inhibitor has been used for some time in the treatment of COVID-19 patients. Previous research showed that patients with serious complications who received imatinib needed a shorter ventilation period and a shorter time on the intensive care layers.
In seriously ill corona patients, the smallest blood vessels in the lungs are damaged. As a result, they cannot properly retain the fluid in the blood, with the result that fluid leaks into the alveoli and the absorption of oxygen is disrupted. Imatinib inhibits vascular leakage.
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