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The University of Manitoba (UM) has been awarded $6.9 million by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for an international clinical trial to evaluate a steroid drug’s effects on pneumonia patients.
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The three-year project is titled, “Dexamethasone for preventing deterioration in community-acquired pneumonia (DEFEND-CAP).”
Dr. Ryan Zarychanski and Dr. Sylvain Lother from UM’s Max Rady College of Medicine are leading the trial. The study will investigate the impact of adding dexamethasone, a steroid used for inflammation, to standard antibiotic treatment for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), which is a leading cause of death worldwide.
The DEFEND-CAP trial will involve 60 hospitals across Canada, the U.S., and Brazil, enrolling up to 4,000 patients. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either dexamethasone or a placebo. The goal is to determine if the steroid can prevent progression to organ failure and death in CAP patients not requiring ICU care.
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“The trial aims to see if dexamethasone can improve outcomes for patients who are not critically ill,” said Zarychanski.
The funding will also support expanding the research network to include additional hospital sites, addressing Canada’s current shortage of clinical trial infrastructure.
“We’re developing Canada’s first post-pandemic, ward-based platform for conducting trials to fight respiratory illnesses,” said Lother.
If successful, the DEFEND-CAP study could lead to significant changes in the global treatment of lung infections. Other UM faculty involved include Drs. Yoav Keynan, Anand Kumar, Asher Mendelson, Barret Rush, and Jennifer Yamamoto, with collaboration from Drs. Emily McDonald and Patrick Lawler of McGill University.
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