Pembrolizumab study for long COVID nervous system symptoms
Treatments studied
Part of Infections, Lungs & breathing clinical trials.
This study tests whether a drug called pembrolizumab, which helps the immune system, can reduce long-lasting nervous system symptoms from COVID-19 (often called long COVID). It is for people who have had symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, or dizziness for at least 6 months after a mild or moderate COVID infection.
Summary written for real people, not researchers, by Clin2.
Who can take part
- You are 18 or older and had COVID-19 that was mild or moderate (not severe enough to require hospitalization or ICU care).
- Your long COVID symptoms—such as fatigue, trouble thinking, sleep problems, dizziness when standing, or difficulty with balance, vision, speech, or strength—have lasted for at least 6 months after your COVID infection.
- If you had COVID more than once, it has been at least 6 months since your last infection, and you have a negative nasal swab for COVID at the time you join.
- You must have a special blood test showing your immune cells have a certain marker (PD-1) at a high level.
- Your symptoms need to be moderate to severe, based on a standard symptom scale.
- You must be willing to have a brain MRI (or have had one after your COVID diagnosis) and a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) as part of the study.
- You must agree not to get any vaccines while on the study, and if you are able to become pregnant or father a child, you must use two forms of birth control until 4 months after the study drug.
- You cannot have other chronic conditions like heart failure, COPD, severe arthritis, uncontrolled asthma, kidney failure, fibromyalgia, or ME/CFS that could cause similar symptoms.
- You must not be taking certain immune-suppressing medications or have had certain autoimmune blood test abnormalities.
- You must not have had cancer, HIV, hepatitis B or C, tuberculosis, or a substance use disorder (excluding marijuana) in the last 5 years.
Quick eligibility check
Answer a few plain-language questions, based on this study's own requirements, to get a preliminary sense of fit.
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