Resolution of COVID-19 induced anosmia following treatment with ST266

Devica L Bhutani; Ahmara G Ross; Amanda Y Lehman; Kenneth S Shindler

doi:10.1016/j.xocr.2022.100475

Resolution of COVID-19 induced anosmia following treatment with ST266

Otolaryngol Case Rep. 2022 Nov:25:100475. doi: 10.1016/j.xocr.2022.100475. Epub 2022 Sep 6.

Authors

Devica L Bhutani¹, Ahmara G Ross^{1

2}, Amanda Y Lehman¹, Kenneth S Shindler^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Ophthalmology, Scheie Eye Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
² Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Abstract

Background: Persistent anosmia following COVID-19 disease affects a significant subset of patients. Symptoms of this olfactory dysfunction negatively impact patient quality of life, and effective treatments are lacking; therefore, novel therapies that restore the ability to smell have tremendous clinical potential.

Case report: A 46-year-old female enrolled in a phase I clinical trial to assess the safety of targeted intranasal administration of a novel acellular secretome therapy (ST266) in patients diagnosed as glaucoma suspects. The patient reported greater than one year history of loss of smell that started following a presumed positive case of COVID-19. Following a 28-day treatment course of bilateral intranasal administration of ST266, the patient had resolution of her long-standing anosmia.

Conclusion: This case demonstrates resolution of COVID-19-induced persistent anosmia after intranasal treatment with a novel acellular secretome therapy. Further studies are warranted to determine the potential of ST266 and its components to treat anosmia.

Keywords: Anosmia; COVID-19; Intranasal therapy; Olfactory dysfunction; ST266.

Publication types

Case Reports