Emetine for Dengue: seeing if a pill can help adults with dengue work better

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This interventional study evaluates the safety and effectiveness of oral emetine for adults aged 18–65 with laboratory-confirmed dengue. Participants are randomized to receive 6 mg or 12 mg of emetine daily for 7 days or a placebo, with daily monitoring for 28 days and blood sampling for about the first 5 days to track viral load and safety. The main questions are whether emetine affects 28‑day mortality or progression to severe dengue and what adverse events may occur. The trial includes hospitalized patients who meet dengue symptoms and lab criteria, with follow-up to assess clinical outcomes and safety signals. The Johns Hopkins University leads the study with Bharatpur Hospital as a collaborating site in Nepal.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

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)

Where it's running

• Bharatpur Hospital
  Bharatpur-10, Chitwan, Nepal Recruiting
• Johns Hopkins University, Division of Infectious Disease
  Baltimore, Maryland, United States Not yet recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: Kunchok Dorjee, MBBS, PhD — Johns Hopkins University
• Study coordinator: Kunchok Dorjee, MBBS, PhD
• Email: kdorjee1@jhmi.edu
• Phone: 4105027135

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Other studies for the same condition or treatment. Recruiting studies are listed first.

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.