Hospitals recruiting participants for study on melatonin vs COVID-19

MANILA, Philippines — Two hospitals are now recruiting participants for the clinical trials for the study of melatonin as a supplementary therapy to treat coronavirus disease 2019, according to Science Secretary Fortunato dela Peña.

The call for participants comes after Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH)’s research and development study on melatonin for COVID-19 patients whose conditions are complicated by pneumonia has started.

In his weekly Bayanihan virtual press briefing last Friday, Dela Peña said the two sites of the clinical trials for the study, MDH and Jose Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, are now recruiting their participants.

The study targets to enroll a total of 350 COVID-19 patient-participants, of whom 175 will be for the experimental pool, and the remaining 175 for the control group.

Dela Peña said the study would particularly examine whether the administration of high doses of melatonin can lessen the need for intubation of COVID-19 cases complicated with pneumonia and “ultimately, improve the survival rate on COVID-19 infected patients.”

The Department of Science and Technology extended a P9.8-million funding to the MDH R&D on the use of melatonin as adjuvant therapy.

The DOST had also funded other R&D on virgin coconut oil or VCO, tawa-tawa and lagundi for their medicinal properties and capability to treat COVID-19.