Coeliac Drug Larazotide Shows Early Success Against Severe Post-Covid Syndrome in Children
Boston | August 1, 2025 —A medication originally designed to treat coeliac disease is showing encouraging results in helping children recover from Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) — a serious and sometimes life-threatening complication linked to Covid-19. The findings, published in the peer-reviewed journal Science Translational Medicine, could mark a major shift in treatment options for post-Covid complications among young patients.
The drug, larazotide, was tested in a small double-blind clinical trial involving 12 children, and the early data is promising: faster recovery, quicker symptom resolution, and rapid clearance of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles from the body.
“While our study is small, its results are powerful and have implications not only for MIS-C, but potentially for long Covid,” said Dr. Lael Yonker, lead author of the study and co-director of the Cystic Fibrosis Center at Mass General Brigham.
Understanding MIS-C: A Rare But Dangerous Post-Covid Syndrome
While most children infected with Covid-19 experience mild symptoms or remain asymptomatic, a small percentage develop MIS-C, an acute inflammatory condition that affects multiple organ systems, including the heart, lungs, kidneys, brain, skin, eyes, and gastrointestinal tract.
MIS-C typically presents weeks after a Covid infection, often following mild or undetected cases. Key symptoms include:
- Persistent high fever
- Severe abdominal pain or diarrhea
- Skin rashes and conjunctivitis
- Heart complications, including myocarditis or cardiac shock
The condition can require hospitalisation and, in severe cases, intensive care.
Limited Options: Why a New Treatment is Needed
Current treatment protocols for MIS-C rely heavily on broad-spectrum anti-inflammatory drugs, such as corticosteroids or intravenous immunoglobulins. However, these are not specifically designed to target the underlying causes of the inflammation, which may involve residual viral particles lingering in the intestinal tract.
“Many children treated for MIS-C see symptoms rebound after completing their anti-inflammatory drug regimen,” said Dr. Yonker.
“This suggests that these treatments aren’t addressing the root issue — namely, the persistent viral material triggering an immune response.”
How Larazotide Works: Gut-Focused Approach
Unlike traditional anti-inflammatory drugs, larazotide works by strengthening the intestinal barrier, preventing harmful materials — including sticky SARS-CoV-2 particles — from leaking out of the gut and into the bloodstream, where they may trigger widespread inflammation.
Larazotide was initially developed for coeliac disease, a chronic autoimmune disorder in which the ingestion of gluten damages the small intestine. The drug was designed to block intestinal permeability, preventing food particles from crossing the gut wall and causing immune reactions.
Now, researchers believe this same mechanism could prove useful in treating MIS-C, especially because of growing evidence that SARS-CoV-2 can linger in the gut for extended periods in some children.
The Study: Design, Participants, and Results
The clinical trial, led by researchers at Mass General Brigham, was a double-blind, placebo-controlled study involving 12 children diagnosed with early-stage MIS-C.
- Participants were randomly assigned to receive either larazotide or a placebo, administered four times daily for 21 days.
- All children were monitored over a six-month recovery period to assess long-term effects.
Key Findings:
- Children treated with larazotide showed faster resolution of gastrointestinal symptoms.
- Viral particles were cleared more rapidly in the larazotide group.
- Patients experienced a quicker return to normal physical activity and reduced inflammatory markers.
The trial reported no major safety concerns, reinforcing larazotide’s potential for broader pediatric use.
“Our findings suggest that larazotide is safe and quickly resolves symptoms in children with MIS-C,” said Dr. Yonker.
“We are now running a larger clinical trial to test whether larazotide may also be a useful therapy to treat patients with long Covid.”
Long Covid in Children: A Growing Concern
While MIS-C represents an acute post-Covid syndrome, long Covid — persistent symptoms lasting weeks or months — is an increasingly common issue among children and adolescents.
Symptoms may include:
- Fatigue
- Brain fog
- Muscle pain
- Breathing difficulties
- Sleep disruptions
As no specific treatment for long Covid currently exists, larazotide’s ability to target residual viral particles in the gut is generating interest among scientists looking for new approaches.
What’s Next: Scaling Up Trials and Global Access
Mass General Brigham has confirmed that it is expanding its trials to include more participants and multiple centers, both in the United States and internationally. If future trials confirm these results, larazotide could become the first targeted drug for MIS-C and potentially long Covid in children.
Pharmaceutical companies and public health institutions are watching closely, as a safe, oral medication could be a game-changer in global pediatric care, particularly in low-resource settings where intensive care options are limited.
Final Thoughts from TheTrendingPeople
As the world continues to grapple with the long-term fallout of the Covid-19 pandemic, new and innovative treatments like larazotide offer a glimmer of hope — not just for those suffering today, but for building a more resilient healthcare system for the future.
The findings from this small but pivotal study are a reminder of the importance of continued medical research, especially in the pediatric space where post-viral complications like MIS-C and long Covid remain underdiagnosed and underfunded.
While more data is needed, larazotide’s potential to safely accelerate recovery in children could shift the treatment paradigm and provide much-needed relief to families around the world.