In the Netherlands, a large study will start this week in 22 hospitals, including all UMCs and the Santeon hospitals. The study investigates whether the vaccine against tuberculosis (the BCG vaccine) protects against the consequences of coronavirus infection in frail older people. The St. Antonius Hospital is one of the hospitals participating in this study. The research is coordinated by UMC Utrecht. The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport attaches great importance to this research and has therefore asked ZonMw to include it as an urgent process in the research programming for COVID-19. (Photo St. Antonius)
The coronavirus appears to make vulnerable elderly people seriously ill and they therefore run the highest risk of dying from the infection. There is currently no specific vaccine against the coronavirus available. Previous research has shown that the BCG vaccine not only protects against tuberculosis, but can also increase the resistance against other pathogens by giving the immune system a temporary ‘boost’. This boost may offer partial protection against coronavirus infection, which means that fewer people will be affected by the virus and the infection may also be milder.
Vulnerable elderly
For this placebo-controlled study, vulnerable patients aged 60 years and older are approached to enroll through the hospital where they are receiving treatment. The study looked at two primary endpoints: (a) the number of corona infections occurring, or (b) the occurrence of respiratory tract infections (including COVID-19) that require medical treatment. In order to have results as quickly as possible, the participating hospitals will recruit between 5,200 and 7,000 frail elderly people over the next two months, who will be followed for 6 months after vaccination. The first results are expected around the end of this year.
Maurice vd Bosch, chairman of Santeon: ‘As a Santeon network of seven hospitals, we are happy to use our research experience and implementation power to contribute to the success of this important study.’
Proven to be safe
The BCG vaccine is the most widely administered vaccine in the world and has been used around the world for decades to prevent tuberculosis. This has ensured that the vaccine is seen as proven safe and that the possible side effects are known. In addition, there is increasing evidence that the BCG vaccine stimulates the immune system and thus protects against respiratory infections in general.
The BCG-PRIME study is the fourth study in the Netherlands with the BCG vaccine against COVID-19 in a short time. In recent months, there have been increasing signs that the BCG vaccine does indeed protect against respiratory infections.
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