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Old drug, new hope? emetine trial targets dengue deaths

NCT ID NCT07016321

Disease control Sponsor: Johns Hopkins University Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Sep 09, 2026 · Updated 4 times

Summary

This study tests whether the drug emetine can help people hospitalized with dengue fever. About 600 adults aged 18 to 65 will take either a low or high dose of emetine or a placebo pill for 7 days. Researchers will track if the drug reduces deaths or stops the disease from becoming severe, and monitor for side effects.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
Emetine hydrochloride (an oral drug)
What this could lead to
If it works, this could provide a new treatment to prevent severe dengue and reduce deaths from the disease.
What could go wrong
This is an early combined phase 2/3 trial, so results are uncertain. Emetine may not work better than placebo, and side effects are possible.

This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.

Study facts

What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.

Phase

Phase 2/3

Runs two stages together: whether the treatment works, then large-scale confirmation.

Participants

About 600 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Sep 2026

Expected to finish

May 2029

An estimate. End dates often move.

Lead sponsor

Other sponsor

The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.

Who can take part

This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.

Ages

18 to 65 years

Sex

Anyone

Healthy volunteers

Not accepted

This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.

Show the full entry requirements

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Age 18 to 65 years 2. Admitted to the hospital 3. Laboratory-confirmed infection with dengue virus within the last 5 days and preferably within the last 3 days. Testing for dengue virus using positive Nonstructural protein 1(NS1) strip assay or reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) 4. Having two or more clinical symptoms (fever, headache, retro-orbital pain, myalgia, arthralgia, rash, hemorrhagic manifestations, or leucopenia, gastrointestinal symptoms) with the onset of fever within 72 hours of presentation, and 5. Able to provide voluntary informed consent and comply with all study procedures and visits. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Age ≥65 years 2. Pregnant or breastfeeding 3. Current or recent use of the study drug 4. Known allergy to study drug 5. Current or planned participation in another pharmacological interventional trial in the next 10 days 6. Participants with known past history of dengue infection 7. Participants on aspirin, anticoagulants, or with other conditions that might increase the risk of bleeding 8. Participants on immunosuppressive agents, including long-term steroids 9. Severe dengue as defined by the WHO 2009 revised case classification. 10. Individuals with long-term immunosuppressive agents such as anti-cancer chemotherapy or radiation therapy within the past 6 months, or those on systemic corticosteroid therapy 11. History of prior vaccination against dengue fever within one year. 12. Patients who have recently used ayurvedic or herbal medications for dengue or any other conditions in the last 7 days (eg, Papaya leaf extract)

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

dengue disease

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Dengue

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites in 2 countries. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. A doctor treating you

    A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.

Contacts and locations

Locations

  • Bharatpur Hospital

    RECRUITING

    Bharatpur-10, Chitwan, Nepal

  • Johns Hopkins University, Division of Infectious Disease

    NOT_YET_RECRUITING

    Baltimore, Maryland, 21231, United States

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