Fatigue, joint pain, headaches and cognitive problems that are sometimes called brain fog. Those are the symptoms.
The illness is long COVID, a form of COVID-19 where the symptoms persist, often for years. So far there’s no proven treatment for it. But an obesity and diabetes medication called tirzepatide, has shown a lot of promise.
One doctor’s survey of patients with long COVID, who’d tried the drug, showed that 60% to 90% of them saw improvement.
“I was expecting only about 30% of the population to improve and we kind of powered the study around that. But if it’s really 60% to 90% that really would be amazing,” said Julia Moore Vogel, a professor and director of programs at Scripps Research
Vogel is leading two studies on long COVID. One of them is a clinical trial of tirzepatide, Scripps is recruiting 1,000 people with the illness to test the drug. Half will be given tirzepatide and half will take a placebo.
Vogel said they are a quarter of the way through recruitment.
Another co-director of the clinical trial is Eric Topol, also of Scripps Research and founder of the Scripps Research Translational Institute. He said this class of drugs has shown a lot of promise for lots of conditions. And tirzepatide is the most potent of the bunch.
“And when I say more potent, we’re talking about all the effects. Not just weight loss but heart benefit, liver benefit, kidney, migraine headaches, rheumatoid arthritis and the list goes on. You know, addiction,” Topol said.
Tirzepatide is made by pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly, which is providing the drugs for the long COVID trial. The trial is being funded by the Schmidt Institute for Long COVID (SILC)
“The Scripps trial is unique because it’s the first long COVID clinical trial that enables patients to participate remotely,” said John Redd, CEO of SILC.
“That’s important because this design allows patients to participate from all over the United States — the study medication is delivered to the patient and all clinical assessments are done virtually, from the patient’s home,” Redd said.
Tirzepatide is FDA approved, and even though it’s meant to be a weight-loss drug, Vogel said using drugs “off label” is very common, and this one is being prescribed for long COVID.
But she adds that not all doctors are confident the drug works and getting coverage for it will be difficult.
“The challenge and barrier for a lot of people is the insurance coverage piece. Where an insurance company of course is going to require more rigorous data before they’re going to pay for it, especially given how expensive these drugs are,” Vogel said.
Vogel’s interest in long COVID is not just academic. She’s lived with it for five years.
She says her illness has caused her to become homebound, and no treatment that she’s tired has helped. But anecdotal evidence that 60% to 90% of long COVID sufferers were helped by tirzepatide has given her hope.
“I was blown away by that and I really hope that bears out in the data,” she said.
Scripps Research is also examining results of a test of long COVID symptoms among patients wearing body monitors.
