ABOUT LONG COVID

An Emerging Unmet Medical Need

Approximately 30% of the 373 Million Covid-19Infected Patients Experiencing Post-COVID symptoms

Long Covid, involves a range of symptoms that can last for months after first being infected with SARS-CoV-2 or can even first appear weeks after the acute phase of infection has resolved. Long Covid can happen to anyone infected with SARS-CoV-2, even if the illness was mild or entirely asymptomatic.

Persistent symptoms

Fatigue 55%
Difficulty breathing 42%
Memory loss 34%
Sleep disorder 32%
Attention disorder 27%
Significant hair loss 20%
Cough 17%
Loss of smell 13%

120 patients (mean = 111 days)

Source: Garrigues et al. Infect. 2020; Carifi, et. al. JAMA. 2020; J Gold, Pathogens, 2021; F Bai, Clinical Microbial Infections, 2021

The mechanisms by which COVID-19 causes lingering symptoms in survivors are not fully understood but are hypothesized to result from:

Immune-system overdrive triggered by the COVID-19 virus, including increased production of autoantibodies

Lingering infection

Co-infection/activation of previous viral infections that were dormant

Most adults are infected with normally harmless dormant viruses, contracted years earlier

COVID-19 acutely depletes our T cells, which may allow for reactivation of herpes viruses

Antiviral therapy may hold promise for treating Long Covid

Valacyclovir, famciclovir and acyclovir inhibit replication of these common herpes viruses

Valacyclovir has been shown to reduce the frequency of EBV-infected B cells

Sources: Groff et al, JAMA, Oct 2021; J Gold, Pathogens, 2021; Cox et al, Research, Penn State University, Jan 22

IMC-2 Phase 2 Exploratory Long Covid Study

Exploratory Endpoints Include: Fatigue, pain, sleep, anxiety, depression, cognitive function and global improvement