CUHK Clinical Trial Centre collaborated with CUHK Medical Centre on a clinical trial to evaluate a new oral pipeline JT001 (VV116) for the early treatment of Covid in patients with mild to moderate infection.

JT001 (VV116) was approved for research purposes by the National Medical Products Administration in late 2021. In animal studies, the oral treatment has shown to reduce viral load and inflammation in the lungs of infected subjects. In phase 1 clinical studies with healthy volunteers, JT001 (VV116) was found to have a good safety profile.

The aim of the study is to understand the effectiveness of this new oral treatment in preventing patients’ conditions from progressing to severe.

The study will enroll 2,000 subjects aged 18 and above from across the globe with a recently confirmed Covid-19 infection. It is the first time Hong Kong has been involved in a clinical trial on patients using a novel oral treatment specifically developed for the virus.

Eligible participants will be randomly assigned to receive JT001 (VV116) or a placebo treatment for 5 days, and will be closely observed for disease progression for up to 29 days.

The study will take place at the CUHKMC Covid Medical Station. Patients who have been newly infected and are interested in participating in the clinical trial will first undergo a screening process followed by the treatment.

Further details of subject recruitment for the study will be announced soon.

Andrea Luk On-yan, Medical Director of the Phase 1 Clinical Trial Centre, said, “New variants of the virus that causes Covid-19 will constantly emerge and spread in our community. Therefore, we need more treatment options that can help prevent progression to severe illness and complications, especially in vulnerable populations such as the elderly and those with chronic diseases."

The team also hoped that the research data can be used by the Hospital Authority as a reference to provide more options for clinical treatment of Covid-19 patients in the future.