- A new study found COVID-19 was linked to a significant increase in dementia in older people with type 2 diabetes. The retrospective study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience included a cohort of nearly half a million people with documented SARS-C0V-2 infections, with records taken from a global database with 181 healthcare organizations. The researchers found those infected had a 50% higher chance of dementia compared to controls. The association “persisted and strengthened” beyond the early post-infection period and secondary outcomes included increased rates of Alzheimer’s disease, mild cognitive impairment, and other diagnoses. The authors tracked dementia by an ICD-10-CM code and cautioned the results could be an underestimate.
- The SARS-CoV-2-specific monoclonal antibody AER002 failed in a trial for Long COVID. The study, which included 36 participants, was recently published in Nature Communications, but early results were shared in spring 2025. While researchers found the drug was safe and well tolerated, there were no significant differences in the physical health or quality of life of participants, nor in objective biological measures. “Despite this negative result, several observations suggest promise for monoclonal antibody therapies in certain individuals and should inform future trial design,” the authors wrote. Read more about the trial viral persistence in trials in this feature by Betsy.
- The FDA has cleared a new phase 2 clinical trial for Long COVID studying an investigational botanical drug called FRP-003. The drug, also known as Formula C™, is made primarily from products called terpenes found in hemp flowers. A very small trial published in 2022 assessed the drug, but did not have a true placebo. According to a press release, the randomized trial will include 220 participants with Long COVID who have fatigue and post-exertional malaise (PEM), who will take one of two dose options of the drug twice a day, or a placebo, for 56 days. The study plans to begin recruiting in the U.S. in early 2027 at locations in Salt Lake City and New York.
