PIDOTIMOD IN PAUCISYMPTOMATIC SARS-CoV2 INFECTED PATIENTS

Background and purpose: Currently clinicians wide world are facing with SARS-CoV-2 pandemy, whose clinical features include fever, dry cough, fatigue and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) which can progress to life threatening sequelae. Aim of this study is to evaluate both efficacy and safety of pidotimod in paucisymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 patients without any evidence of concurrent pneumonia. Methods: Twenty SARS-CoV-2 1:1 allocated (pidotimod vs symptomatic therapy) Brescia-COVID Respiratory Severity Scale 0 patients were enrolled and complaining fever, cough without any sign of respiratory failure. None of them required standard regimens or hospitalization. Results: At two-brace cohort analysis no significant selection bias between groups were reported. In the absence of relevant drug-induced side effects or disease progression during therapy, the experimental group presented an earlier clinical resolution than the control one (Group A vs Group B: 4.10±2.18 vs 7.50±2.63 days; 95%CI: 1.13 – 5.67, SE: 1.08; p=0.006), as confirmed from a linear regression analysis. Conclusions: Pidotimod regimens in selected SARS-COV2 patients could be a viable option to induce symptoms regression, as an earlier defervescence protects from the indolent course of cytokine cascade activation. Rebalancing the immune status with pidotimod may also have prevented the evolution of the infection in patients.