The emergency room is still full. Coronavirus patients continue to pour in. And health care workers are still scrambling to deal with the deluge at Holy Name Medical Center.
But Dr. Suraj Saggar, chief of infectious disease at the Teaneck hospital, had a hint of hope in his voice Thursday morning.
Clinical trials have begun.
Holy Name Medical Center — which Saggar said looked “like a war zone” earlier this week from the surge of COVID-19 patients — is conducting trials of two drugs to treat the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
“We are trying to do clinical trials of a drug, Kevzara, and expanded access (compassionate use) of the drug remdesivir,” Saggar said.
“Compassionate use” is when unapproved drugs can be administered to patients when no other treatment option exists.
Remdesivir is “an investigational" antiviral drug, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kevzara is a drug that treats active rheumatoid arthritis. There is anecdotal evidence that the drugs may help patients infected with COVID-19. However, without any peer-reviewed studies, it is unproven whether they are effective treatments.
Though he did not have exact numbers, Saggar said there are “numerous" patients at the hospital undergoing the clinical trials. He said there is not yet enough information to know whether the treatments are working.
“It’s in evolution,” Saggar said. “We’re constantly sharing (information). It’s much too early to know if it’s an effective therapy.”
But he added, “We are hopeful.”
Unrelated to the trials, Saggar also said some COVID-19 patients are recovering and have been discharged.
But the ceaseless surge of patients at the hospital — located at the epicenter of New Jersey’s outbreak — continues.
“Still high acuity, still a large number of patients and a large number of patients with severe outcomes,” Saggar said.
The influx of patients has been so intense that the hospital earlier this week was running out of personal protective equipment for its health care workers, especially respirators, which had to be reused.
Holy Name issued a plea to the public for donations so it could purchase critical equipment and supplies.
Many from the public heard the plea. Donations from individuals and corporations allowed the hospital to purchase just enough gear to stay “ahead of the curve,” Saggar said.
Meaning, they have just enough for now. But that can quickly change.
“It’s always precarious,” Saggar said. “So far, we’ve been able to stay ahead.”
He and his colleagues, he said, were grateful for the public’s assistance. But the situation remains urgent and chaotic.
For Saggar and the rest of the staff, now is not the time to ease up.
“It’s still all hands on deck,” he said. “I’m in the ER, going from patient to patient assessing who might be an appropriate candidate for enrollment into the clinical trial, as well as helping doctors and nurses on the front lines in any way we can.”
Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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