Inhaled Aviptadil is a new hope for recovery of lung damage due to COVID-19

<bold>Background:</bold> Even though different vaccines and drugs have been investigated and even applied worldwide to fight COVID-19 pandemics we still are in search of new therapeutic options not only to prevent new cases but also enable fast recovery and reduce the long-lasting symptoms or sequelae of different organs, especially lung. <bold>Methods:</bold> A multicenter, prospective, placebo-controlled, comparative, randomized, double-blind phase II clinical trial was conducted in Turkey. In the study, 80 adult patients were enrolled from 9 hospitals. They were randomized 1:1 to either inhaled Aviptadil treatment or placebo, in addition to the standard care as stated by the national guidelines. <bold>Results:</bold> The gender, age, and vital sign distributions were comparable between the Treatment and Placebo groups (p>0.05). The patients who received Aviptadil inhalation had a discharge rate of 89.7%, compared to 82.9% in the Placebo group. The rate of patients admitted to intensive care because of disease progression was 10.3% in the Aviptadil group, but 17.1% in the placebo group (p=0.376). On the other hand, the average discharge time was 7.8±4.0 days in the Treatment group and 10±5.0 days in the Placebo group (p=0.049). This rapid improvement is supported by patients' Modified-Borg Scales, which were statistically similar on Day 3 (p=0.090), but significantly lower in the Treatment group on Day 7 (p=0.033). The CT lung damage score was similar on Day 1 for both groups (p=0.962) but significantly improved in the Aviptadil group on Day 28 (p=0.028). The death rate was also lower in the Aviptadil group (5.1%) compared to the Placebo (12.2%). <bold>Conclusion</bold>: Inhaled Aviptadil could be a way to treat and fasten the recovery of lungs from COVID-19.