New study aims to improve pneumonia treatment
A newly-announced MRFF-funded clinical trial led by haematologist and clinician researcher Professor Zoe McQuilten will investigate the effectiveness of an inexpensive and widely available drug – heparin – in treating patients with community acquired pneumonia.
Community acquired pneumonia (CAP) is one of the most common causes of hospitalisation and death globally. The main treatments for CAP are antibiotics and supportive care. However, it is now recognised that abnormal blood clotting may contribute to the severe illness some patients with CAP experience, and therefore treatments to prevent blood clotting may be beneficial.
CAP can be caused by a number of different pathogens, both viral and bacterial in nature. In cases caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID), the researchers previously demonstrated that therapeutic doses of the blood thinning agent heparin reduced the need for intensive care unit admission, and death in non-critically ill adults.
This latest funding will allow them to test whether therapeutic doses of heparin are also beneficial in CAP due to other bacteria and viruses (not just COVID). The new study – ATTACC-CAP – is designed to answer the question, in non-critically ill adult patients hospitalised for CAP, does treatment with therapeutic-dose (high-dose) heparin reduce progression to intensive care admission and death, compared to usual care prophylactic-dose (low-dose)?
Professor McQuilten says, “In our previous trials in patients with CAP due to COVID, we were able to show the benefit of a higher dose of heparin compared to usual care, which is a much lower dose. Although CAP due to other pathogens is very similar to COVID in many ways, the potential benefit of higher doses of heparin, which is an inexpensive and widely available therapy, is unknown. This new trial will allow us to test this question. Our collaborations and trial infrastructure that we established during the pandemic allow us to do this as part of a large, international partnership.”
The randomised clinical trial will be run from Melbourne, but is international in nature.
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