Los Angeles, Calif. – The AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG), the world's largest HIV research network whose focus has expanded to include evaluating outpatient treatment for COVID-19, will present two oral abstracts and one poster on COVID-19 studies at IDWeek 2022, taking place in Washington D.C. from October 19-22, 2022.
"IDWeek is an important opportunity for the ACTG to present our latest findings on COVID-19," said ACTG Chair Judith Currier, M.D., MSc, of the University of California, Los Angeles. "These presentations are all from the ACTG's ACTIV-2 platform, which sought to rapidly identify COVID-19 treatments and better understand the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2. These findings expand our understanding about several key aspects of COVID-19, including the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels in different compartments, predictors of nasopharyngeal viral clearance, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels as predictors for clinical outcomes."
ACTIV-2 is a randomized controlled adaptive platform that enabled the efficient testing of a variety of promising therapeutic agents for early COVID-19 within the same trial infrastructure. ACTIV-2 is sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which also funds the ACTG.
ACTG COVID-19 presentations at IDWeek 2022 include:
Nasal and plasma SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels predict timing of symptom resolution in the ACTIV-2 trial of non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19 (Friday, October 21, 11:00 a.m. E.T.); Oral session; Yijia Li, et al.
This study sought to understand the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 burden in the upper airway or plasma and the duration of COVID-19 symptoms. Among individuals with COVID-19 who did not receive treatment, participants with high anterior nasal and detectable plasma RNA at study entry were more likely to experience symptoms for a longer period of time.
Association between anterior nasal and plasma SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels and hospitalization or death for non-hospitalized adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 (Friday, October 21, 10:30 a.m. E.T.); Oral session; Mark J Giganti, et al.
This study sought to expand upon the limited data available regarding the performance of SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels as predictors or surrogate markers for clinical outcomes in outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Researchers found that anterior nasal and plasma SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels were predictive of hospitalization and death among participants who received placebo, but nasal viral levels explained only a small proportion of the beneficial treatment effect of monoclonal antibodies. Differing associations of nasal viral levels between monoclonal antibody and placebo recipients raise concerns about nasal RNA as a surrogate for clinical outcomes in monoclonal antibody trials.
Female sex and SARS-CoV-2 serostatus predict nasopharyngeal RNA clearance during early COVID-19 (Friday October 21, 12:15 p.m. E.T.); Poster session; Carlee Moser, et al.
This study sought to better characterize predictors of SARS-CoV-2 RNA levels and changes over time during early COVID-19. It found that shorter symptom duration, older age, white race, lower BMI and a lack of anti-SARS CoV-2 antibodies were associated with higher RNA in early COVID-19 infection. Female sex and the presence of antibodies were associated with faster viral clearance.
About the ACTG
Founded in 1987, the AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) was the world's first HIV research network. Funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, and collaborating NIH institutes, the ACTG conducts groundbreaking studies to improve the treatment of HIV and its complications, including tuberculosis and viral hepatitis; reduce new infections and HIV-related illness; and advance new approaches to prevent, treat, and ultimately cure HIV in adults and children. ACTG investigators and research units in 15 countries serve as major resources for HIV/AIDS research, treatment, care, and training/education in their communities. ACTG studies have helped establish current paradigms for managing HIV disease, and have informed HIV treatment guidelines, resulting in dramatic decreases in HIV-related mortality worldwide.
