Peterborough hospital trust recruits patients for trial looking at treatment for COVID 19

The RECOVERY trial (The Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy) is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and UK Research and Innovation, and is led by the University of Oxford. The trial was launched at Peterborough City and Hinchingbrooke Hospitals on Monday 30 March. The research team has already begun recruiting patients, with many more looking to participate.

The trial will determine whether or not any of the possible new treatments are more or less effective than those currently used to treat COVID-19 patients. The treatments initially included in the trial are, Iopinavir-Ritonavir (normally used to treat HIV), the steroid Dexamethasone (which is used in a wide range of conditions to reduce inflammation) and Hydroxychloroquine (used to treat Malaria and rheumatological diseases). All patients will receive the usual standard of care.

Patients joining the trial are randomly allocated to receive one of the three drugs being studied or no additional medication. The trial design enables new treatments to be added as new treatments become available.

Each patient must be 18 years or older and admitted to hospital with a positive COVID-19 result. They then receive one of the four randomised types of treatment for a 10-day period unless they are discharged beforehand.

Respiratory Consultant, Dr Jakki Faccenda, has been working with the research team and front line clinical staff to get the trial up and running at Peterborough City Hospital and Dr Rob Buttery has been mirroring efforts at the Hinchingbrooke site.

Dr Faccenda, said: “This has been a huge collaborative effort by all of the staff involved and I am incredibly proud of the way everyone has been working together to roll the trial out as quickly as possible. It is a great opportunity for us to be involved with this national research trial, which could deliver potentially life-saving treatment for our patients. The feedback so far has been very positive and we will continue to recruit additional patients to help us find out the best way to treat this virus.”

Dr Helen Macdonald, who leads the NIHR’s Clinical Research Network in the Eastern region, said: “We are very pleased to be part of the national effort and see COVID 19 trials opening in the Eastern region. There are currently no proven treatments for COVID-19 so we truly hope the results of the prioritised studies will provide the answers we need. Without research, and without those who take part in it, we simply can’t identify the ways to treat patients with this diagnosis, so we are extremely grateful to all those involved.”

The RECOVERY study is one of a growing number of trials which are being set up with the support of the NIHR to help find treatments for COVID-19.