Could a simple pill tame long COVID's immune chaos?
NCT ID NCT07189936
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This phase 2 trial tests whether a drug called 2-HOBA can reduce immune system overactivity in people with Long COVID who also have POTS (a condition causing rapid heart rate upon standing). The study will enroll 50 participants and randomly assign them to receive either 2-HOBA or a placebo for 28 days. Researchers will measure immune markers and symptoms to see if the drug helps calm the persistent immune response thought to drive many Long COVID symptoms.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- 2-hydroxybenzylamine (2-HOBA)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a treatment that reduces immune system overactivity and improves symptoms like fatigue and rapid heart rate in Long COVID POTS patients.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small early-phase trial with only 50 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The drug may not reduce immune markers or improve symptoms better than a placebo.
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
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Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Dec 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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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 Hide 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: All participants should meet diagnostic criteria for Long COVID and POTS and as outlined below: Long COVID (LC) is defined by a range of symptoms affecting multiple organs that persist for more than three months following an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. POTS: the presence of chronic symptoms lasting more than 3 months, along with orthostatic tachycardia (a HR increase over 30 bpm upon standing or exceeding 120 bpm without orthostatic hypotension) within 10 minutes upon standing or 75-degree head up tilt. For patients aged 18 and 21, an increase of more than 40 bpm or a standing HR over 130 bpm will be required for inclusion in the study. 2 Patients need confirmation of POTS diagnosis based on orthostatic vital signs obtained prior to enrollment in the study. SARS-CoV-2 infection 3 or more months prior identified by the follow signs: A. Meets the clinical OR epidemiological criteria. 1. Clinical criteria: Acute onset of fever AND cough (influenza-like illness) OR Acute onset of ANY THREE OR MORE of the following signs or symptoms: fever, cough, general, weakness/fatigue, headache, myalgia, sore throat, coryza, dyspnea, nausea, diarrhea, anorexia. 2. Epidemiological criteria: Contact of a probable or confirmed case or linked to a COVID-19 cluster; or B. Presents with acute respiratory infection with history of fever or measured fever of ≥ 38°C; and cough; with onset within the last 10 days; and who requires hospitalization); or C. Presents with no clinical signs or symptoms, NOR meeting epidemiologic criteria with a positive professional use or self-test SARS-CoV-2 antigen-Rapid Diagnostic Test. D. A person with a positive nucleic acid amplification test, regardless of clinical criteria OR epidemiological criteria; or E. Meeting clinical criteria AND/OR epidemiological criteria (See A). With a positive professional use or self-test, SARS-CoV-2 Antigen-Rapid Diagnostic Test. F. Documented by health care provider in clinical note or encounter. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Known active acute SARS-Cov-2 infection (4 weeks from onset) 2. Moderate or severe immunocompromised patients, 3. Known history of cardiovascular disease (atrioventricular block (AV block), myocardial infarction, angina, heart failure, pacemaker, stroke, transient ischemic attack within 6 months before enrollment), 4. Uncontrolled hypertension (BP\>140/90 despite appropriate treatment); 5. Type 1 or type 2 diabetes mellitus; 6. Impaired hepatic function (AST or ALT greater than 1.5x the upper limit of normal or with total bilirubin ≥1.5mg/dl), 7. Impaired renal function test (eGFR\<60 mL/min/1.73m2), 8. Anemia (hemoglobin \<10 g/dl), 9. Pregnant or breastfeeding women, 10. Known history of autoimmune disease, steroid use or other immunotherapies, 11. Inability to provide informed consent. We will also exclude individuals with known allergy sensitivity to components of the study medication, known contraindication to the study interventions, use of central acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (e.g., pyridostigmine, donezepil), aspirin allergy because salicylic acid is a metabolite of 2-HOBA; use of monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAO-I) because of some inhibition of MAO-A is present in the anticipated therapeutic range of 2-HOBA. \-
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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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
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Cyndya Shibao
RECRUITINGNashville, Tennessee, 37027, United States
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