COVID-19 update 31 March: Network supports studies into COVID-19

The National Institute for Health Research has published studies it is supporting into COVID-19.

The studies have been designated Urgent Public Health Research Studies. 

The studies include:

• RECOVERY: testing whether existing or new drugs can help patients hospitalised with confirmed COVID-19. 
• CCP-UK Clinical Characterisation Protocol for Severe Emerging Infection: collecting samples and data from COVID-19 patients to answer questions about the virus and provide real-time information. 
• A phase I/II trial of a candidate COVID-19 vaccine (COV001): preclinical and clinical testing of a new vaccine for COVID-19. 
• UKOSS: Pandemic Influenza in Pregnancy: collecting information about all pregnant women admitted to hospital who are confirmed to have the virus infection to inform guidance. 
• The PRIEST study: Pandemic Respiratory Infection Emergency System Triage: testing the accuracy of existing triage methods to develop new potentially more accurate methods. 
• FLU-CATs: Evaluation and refinement of pandemic influenza community assessment tools: assessment, refinement and validation of triage tools to guide GP referral of patients with influenza like illness during a pandemic.
• A Phase 3 Randomized Study to Evaluate the Safety, and Antiviral Activity of Remdesivir (RDV) in participants COVID-19: evaluation of the safety and potential efficacy of antiviral drug RDV. All patients will continue standard of care therapy. One trial will be into patients with severe COVID-19 and another into patients with moderate COVID-19.
• A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of tocilizumab in patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia: evaluation of tocilizumab compared with placebo in combination with standard of care hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

For more details and the latest studies visit the NIHR website.