Background
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an information overload of health data (both accurate and inaccurate) available to the public. With vitamins and supplements being readily accessible, many have turned to using them in an effort to combat the virus. The purpose of this review was to analyse clinical trials regarding vitamins and supplements for the treatment of COVID-19 infections.
Methods
Articles were identified through a literature search utilizing online databases and bibliographic review.
Results
A total of seven articles were identified for review. All articles evaluated the use of vitamins and supplements for the treatment of COVID-19. Drug therapies included oral vitamin D, intravenous and oral vitamin C, oral vitamin D/magnesium/vitamin B12, oral zinc, oral combination zinc/ascorbic acid, and intravenous alpha-lipoic acid. The end points of each study varied, including the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score, mortality, rate of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, negativity of COVID-19 tests, oxygen requirements, and symptom burden.
Conclusion
Of the vitamins and supplements that were studied, vitamin D presented the most promising data demonstrating significant decreases in oxygen requirements, need for ICU treatment, SARS-CoV-2 RNA test positivity, and mortality. All of these benefits were exhibited in hospitalized patients. Other vitamins and supplements that were evaluated in studies did not demonstrate any statistically significant benefits. Common shortcomings of the articles included generally small sample sizes, varying sites of study (which could determine the virus variant), a lack of standard of care as background therapy, and utilization of doses that were higher than standard.
The American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) endorses comprehensive medication management (CMM) as an essential element of team‐based care and advocates CMM inclusion in value‐based health care reform. Remote delivery of CMM through telehealth platforms is expanding and has the potential to become one of the most common clinical pharmacy services. Building on a previous ACCP publication, “Providing Comprehensive Medication Management in Telehealth,” the 2019 ACCP Clinical Practice Affairs A Committee provides insights and guidance on developing, implementing, evaluating, and improving CMM telehealth practices in this white paper.
Purpose of Review Rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is increasingly more common among clinics serving people living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLWH). It is recommended by major guidelines and is especially important in achieving the Getting to Zero (GTZ) goals by 2030. Patients should be offered the option to initiate ART as soon as possible, preferably at time of HIV diagnosis, with the goal of reducing transmission, morbidity, and mortality. Recent Findings Three published randomized controlled trials, and several other observational, prospective, and retrospective studies, demonstrated superior rates of viral suppression (VS) with initiation of rapid ART compared to standard of care. Improved time to VS and retention in care were also observed. Based on the regimens studied, a tenofovir backbone combined with an integrase strand transfer inhibitor or protease inhibitor is recommended for rapid start initiation. Since ART is started earlier compared with standard of care, there is opportunity to achieve VS at a much faster rate, especially in the setting of starting on the day of diagnosis. What requires further evaluation is whether or not VS is sustained over time with quicker linkage and initiation of HIV care. Summary Initiating rapid ART in newly diagnosed PLWH provides a promising approach to achieving GTZ. When offered rapid ART, virologic suppression is improved compared to standard of care, which may reduce transmission and, ultimately, new HIV infections.
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