Researchers believe they have identified a potential new treatment for multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), detailing their findings in Critical Care Explorations.[1]

MIS-C, a new and potentially fatal condition associated with COVID-19, can cause significant damage to a patient’s heart, brain and gastrointestinal organs. Noting that the SARS-CoV-2 virus sometimes remains in the gut for weeks or even months after a COVID-19 infection, potentially triggering the development of MIS-C, specialists from Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital wanted to see if larazotide acetate — a medication originally developed to treat celiac disease — could provide any value as a MIS-C treatment.

Four extremely ill MIS-C patients between the ages of 3 and 17 were include in the study. Each child was given four daily doses of larazotide acetate for 21 days. An additional 22 MIS-C patients were treated with steroids and/or intravenous immunoglobulin therapy.

Overall, the four children given larazotide acetate saw their gastrointestinal symptoms decrease significantly faster than other patients. The medication was also linked to a slightly shorter hospital stay.