17 critically ill patients from Wuhan, China were recruited from February - March 2020. They participated in a randomized, single-blind, group sequential, active-controlled trial to tests the effects of alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) could ameliorate inflammation, reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS), and improve organ function in COVID-19. Patients in the treatment group were given 1200 mg/d intravenous ALA once daily on top of their existing treatment, and they were given ALA treatment for 7 additional days beyond standard medical care. Patient organ function was assessed using the Sequential Organ Failure Estimate (SOFA) score. After 7 days of ALA treatment, the control group's SOFA score increased by 1.7 points (4.3-6.0) whereas the treatment group's score increased by 0.2 points (3.8-4.0). These results were not significant (p=0.36) due to a limited sample size.