The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) announces the availability of funds for Administrative Supplements or Urgent Competitive Revisions to promote research on the effects of natural products alone or in combination with other complementary and integrative health approaches on Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). NCCIH is particularly interested in projects focusing on the therapeutic and/or mechanistic effects on SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 of natural product–based complementary remedies including, but not limited to: herbal therapies, vitamins, supplements, probiotics, microbial therapies, and Chinese medicine herbal preparations.
Background
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has now become a global pandemic that may last for a long time. COVID-19 patients can have severe illness, but some individuals may have mild symptoms or be asymptomatic. However, infected but asymptomatic individuals can still spread the disease, and may represent a major vector of transmission. With the exception of remdesivir, no approved coronavirus vaccines or therapeutics are currently available. However, there have been significant anecdotal reports about and public interest in the use of natural product–based remedies to prevent infection by SARS-CoV-2, suppress virus transmission and replication, and/or regulate the immune system in response to the virus. Many of these natural product remedies are generally regarded as safe and readily available to the public over the counter for immediate use. Despite the general interest and wide public usage, there is a lack of high-quality scientific evidence to demonstrate whether any of these remedies can prevent, treat, or manage the illnesses and symptoms caused by SARS-CoV-2. There is an imperative and urgent need for rigorous scientific research to ascertain and clarify the potential value and potential mechanisms of action against COVID-19 for these remedies.