COVID-19 treatment underway in Florida has near-perfect success rate

OCALA, Fla. - A new COVID-19 treatment developed in Ocala, Florida is seeing measurable results with a near-perfect success rate.

AdventHealth Ocala officials reported groundbreaking results from a new drug therapy they developed called ICAM.

“The ICAM protocol has the potential to trigger the reopening of the country,” said Dr. Carlette Norwood-Williams, Director of Pharmacy at AdventHealth Ocala. “We will know the next step after our out-patient study.”

She said ICAM works by reinforcing the immune system and protecting the lungs from inflammation.

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“We had no need for mechanical ventilation and the patients all survived the discharge regardless of age and regardless of past medical history,” Norwood-Williams said.

Since April, they have seen a 96.4 percent survival rate for COVID-19 patients admitted at AdventHealth Ocala.

“It’s a drug class combination,” she said. “It works to defend the body from the most severe cases of the coronavirus.”

ICAM is an acronym for the types of medications used: Immunosupport such as Vitamin C and Zinc; Corticosteroids to control inflammation; Anticoagulants to prevent blood clots; and Macrolides to help fight infection.

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“What we found out was that ICAM works as a strategy for super defense for the body,” she said. “It doesn’t kill coronavirus, but it doesn’t need to. Viruses are self-limiting anyway. They have a very short life cycle. What kills people are the consequences of coronavirus in multiple ways.”

They are beginning a clinical trial for the drug therapy to publish their findings and share the treatment with physicians around the world.

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