Covid-19 patients at RAH to be offered clinical trial place
Coronavirus patients at Paisley’s Royal Alexandra Hospital will be offered the chance to take part in a clinical trial.
The UK- wide Recovery Trial aims to find effective treatment for coronavirus patients by testing pre-existing medicine.
This includes steroids, antivirals and antimalarial agents, while antibiotics may also be added at a future date.
The trial is adaptive in design, so treatments that show promise will be used more frequently.
All patients with Covid-19 that are being treated the RAH, as well as the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, Glasgow Royal Infirmary and Inverclyde Royal Infirmary, will be offered the chance to take part in the clinical trial.
It is a randomised, controlled trial where patients are given an active drug or standard care.
So far, 100 people have signed up to the trial within NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde hospitals.
It is part of the health board’s efforts to move forward research related to Covid- 19 as fast as possible.
Dr Jennifer Armstrong, medical director of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, said: “Our teams have been incredible in rising up to the challenge of Covid-19.
“Not just in the care and treatment of patients, but also their dedication to improving our knowledge of the virus through clinical trials.
“This means our patients are receiving the most up- to- date treatment available.”
Anaesthetists, respiratory physicians, emergency medicine consultants, pharmacy teams and nurses are leading the board’s involvement in the study, which is funded by the UK Government.
The medics are feeding their findings to the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Government and NHS Research Scotland.
Charles Weller, general manager of NHS Research Scotland, said: “Recovery has been the fastest growing clinical trial in medical history, and a crucial part of our efforts to better understand and tackle Covid-19.
“I want to thank all teams for their commitment and professionalism to this national priority study.”