Call for at-risk over-50s to join Covid-19 home drug trial
Over-50s who are vulnerable to becoming seriously ill from the coronavirus are being recruited to take part in a drug trial aimed at cutting the chances they will require hospital treatment for the disease.
The study is testing the effectiveness of pre-existing drugs for older patients in the community who show signs of the disease.
The objective is to slow or halt the progression of Covid-19 and avoid the need for hospital admission.
Drugs being tested are considered low-risk and include hydroxychloroquine, used to treat acute malaria and certain types of arthritis, and azithromycin, an antibiotic widely prescribed for chest infections, Lyme disease and some sexually transmitted infections.
More than 500 GP surgeries across the UK have begun recruiting people aged 50 to 64 who have pre-existing illnesses and those aged 65 and over into the trial.
Now older people who have had coronavirus symptoms for 15 days or less can apply online to take part in the scheme, regardless of which medical practice they are registered with.
Known as PRINCIPLE, the project is being led by a team at Oxford University.
It is the first trial of Covid-19 treatments to take place in primary care and one of the UK government’s four national priority platform trials on the disease.
Professor Chris Whitty, the UK’S government’s chief medical adviser and chief medical officer for England, is calling for people to sign up.
He said: “The government is working with researchers to find proven, effective treatments for Covid-19.
“This PRINCIPLE trial is a vital part of this research effort and it’s being scaled up by GP surgeries across the country.
“I would urge anyone who is contacted to take part in this trial to do so and contribute to helping our world-class scientists find a treatment that will save lives.”
Participants will be closely monitored for the first 28 days of the trial, with a review of health record notes taking place for up to three months to understand any longer-term effects of the illness on their health.
The PRINCIPLE platform has received £1.7 million from UK Research and Innovation and the Department of Health and Social Care through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR).
It is part of a wider £24.6m rapid research response investment by the UK government to tackle the coronavirus outbreak.
The trial’s chief investigator, Professor Chris Butler, professor of primary care in the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, said: “The PRINCIPLE trial platform is enabling us to rapidly evaluate potential treatments for Covid-19 in older people who are most at risk of serious complications from the illness.
“With enough people recruited, this trial will give us the vital information we need to understand whether existing drugs can help people recover sooner and at home, without needing to be admitted to hospital – a significant milestone in the course of this pandemic.
“As soon as we find that any one of the drugs in our trial is making a critical difference to people’s health we want it to be part of clinical practice as soon as it can be introduced.”