University of Hawaii medical school seeks COVID-19 positive patients for medication study
The University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine is seeking recently diagnosed COVID-19 patients for a 21-day study.
The study is led by Cecilia Shikuma, JABSOM professor of medicine and lead investigator, and researchers hope to find evidence that taking telmisartan, a medication used for blood pressure control, will prevent harmful effects of the virus.
Participants will be placed on either a placebo (sugar pill) or telmisartan.
“Finding an effective therapy for COVID-19 is very important. In fact, it may be more important or as important as finding a vaccine. Because you do not want to get ill and end up in the hospital,” Shikuma said in a statement.
Shikuma recommends that those who wish to participate in the trial call as soon as they are diagnosed with COVID-19.
“One of the good things about entering a clinical trial is that your clinical status will be monitored by a group of very experienced doctors and nurses,” she said.
For more information, contact Cris Milne at 692-1335 or email cmilne@hawaii.edu.