According to Australian healthcare system Northern Health, the government of the state of Victoria will provide a $4.2 million grant to the University of Melbourne and Monash University to fund a clinical trial of intranasal heparin for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. The Intra Nasal HEpaRin Trial (INHERIT) trial, which will be run by Northern Health, is expected to enroll members of 400 households where at least one person has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and is expected to last for 6 months.
The trial will be led by Northern Health researcher Don Campbell. Other researchers working on the project include Gary Anderson of the University of Melbourne; Michelle McIntosh of the Medicines – Manufacturing Innovation Centre at Monash University; and Paul Monagle of Murdoch Children’s Research Institute.
The heparin formulation, which was developed for intranasal delivery by McIntosh, is meant to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 by forming a coating around the virus. According to Monash University, modeling suggests that the nasal spray should work against new SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron.
Anderson said, “Our study shows immense potential – studies show that intranasal heparin can wrap around the virus like a python, preventing it from infecting you or spreading the virus to others.” McIntosh added, “The team has done everything possible in the laboratory to suggest this treatment will be effective, but the only way to answer the question is with a robust clinical trial.”
Campbell commented, “What started as an idea that heparin might play a role in infection in the nose, and therefore treatment/prophylaxis for COVID- 19, has evolved into a testable hypothesis. Getting funded for this trial is the culmination of 20 months of intense collaborative effort from dedicated scientists including virologists from the Doherty Research Institute and researchers from Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, CSIRO and Victorian hospital-based clinicians as well as researchers from Oxford University. The support of our doctors and our CEO at Northern Health has been incredibly important.”
Read the Northern Health press release.
Read the Monash University press release.
