On Oct. 16, 2020, the NIH launched an adaptive Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of three immune modulator drugs in hospitalized adults with COVID-19. Some COVID-19 patients experience an immune response in which the immune system unleashes excessive amounts of proteins that trigger inflammation ﾗ called a ﾓcytokine stormﾔ ﾗ that can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure and other life-threatening complications.

The clinical trial aimed to determine if modulating that immune response can reduce the need for ventilators and shorten hospital stays. The goal of the trial, known as ACTIV-1 Immune Modulators (IM), was to determine if the therapeutics are able to restore balance to an overactive immune system.