Epirubicin for the Treatment of Sepsis and Septic Shock (EPOS-1): study protocol for a randomised, placebo-controlled phase IIa dose-escalation trial.
Abstract
Sepsis remains the major cause of death among hospitalised patients in intensive care. While targeting sepsis-causing pathogens with source control or antimicrobials has had a dramatic impact on morbidity and mortality of sepsis patients, this strategy remains insufficient for about one-third of the affected individuals who succumb. Pharmacological targeting of mechanisms that reduce sepsis-defining organ dysfunction may be beneficial. When given at low doses, the anthracycline epirubicin promotes tissue damage control and lessens the severity of sepsis independently of the host-pathogen load by conferring disease tolerance to infection. Since epirubicin at higher doses can be myelotoxic, a first dose-response trial is necessary to assess the potential harm of this drug in this new indication.
Involved units
Leibniz-HKI-Authors
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Identifier
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-075158
PMID: 38653508