The trial is being led by Dr Joseph Ischia from Austin Health, along with Dr Oneel Patel from the Department of Surgery at University of Melbourne
In the first-ever move, clinical trials have been fast-tracked to test whether receiving a daily injection of zinc chloride will benefit patients with coronavirus. A world-first trial will see researchers from Austin Health and the University of Melbourne use intravenous zinc to fight the symptoms of coronavirus (COVID-19). The trial is being led by Dr Joseph Ischia from Austin Health, along with Dr Oneel Patel from the Department of Surgery at the University of Melbourne, who has a long history of investigating the protective effects of intravenous zinc against organ damage induced by lack of oxygen.
Scientists and senior officials from prominent medical institutes have been emphasising on the importance of an optimally functioning immune system to safeguard against the disease. Several clinical nutritionists have highlighted that zinc plays a pertinent role in treating severe pneumonia and improving antiviral immunity in addition to Vitamin C and D. President Donald Trump recently highlighted the potential role of zinc in his COVID-19 briefing and mentioned the apparent success in prescribing the anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine in combination with zinc to treat patients with severe symptoms of COVID-19. While more scientific evidence is needed to show the full effectiveness of this treatment, it does appear promising as suggested by Dr Anthony Cardillo, ER Specialist and CEO, Mend Urgent Care.
In line with these developments, International Zinc Association (IZA) – industry association dedicated exclusively to the interests of zinc and its users – has been closely monitoring the situation and working actively finding potential treatment with zinc for COVID-19. The association has collaborated with focussed zinc expert groups and will continue to share relevant updates with Indian authorities.