New trial aims to 'tackle the causes of Long Covid'
People affected may experience symptoms such as extreme fatigue and breathlessness, palpitations, or brain fog
Last updated 12th Oct 2023
Almost two million people in the UK have 'Long Covid' and a new study aims to test if an anti-viral drug could be a potential treatment for it.
It will look at whether the virus 'persists within specific cells of the infected person, causing an associated inflammatory response' when they exercise, for example.
The ground-breaking project involves teams of experts led by the University of Derby - working with the University of Exeter and University Hospitals of Derby - and Burton NHS Foundation Trust.
Study lead, Dr Mark Faghy, Associate Professor in Respiratory Physiology at the University of Derby, explains: “We have seen that long COVID has a huge impact on the lives of patients. However, at present, there are no confirmed treatments that have improved patient outcomes. This project will shed light on whether using existing antiviral treatment could help address this global challenge. Millions have been affected by this terrible condition which makes research like this critically important as we seek to find new ways to improve care.”
Dr Faghy’s team have previously conducted a series of international studies to explore the impacts of acute and long COVID, recording patients’ symptoms and their lived experience. Throughout this work, the team have engaged with healthcare providers and, most importantly, long COVID patients themselves, working to understand how they are being impacted, what support they need, and to identify opportunities where intervention may be beneficial. This extensive work has been key to informing the design and development of services for long COVID patients.
From January 2024, eligible people will be contacted and invited to take part in the study. This first phase of research will look at a series of measures, including exercise tolerability. Participants at the University of Exeter may receive detailed body scans to determine if the anti-viral therapy, as an effect of the reduction in viral activity, can reduce evidence of ongoing inflammation that has been demonstrated in people with long COVID.
Professor David Strain, the clinical lead based at the University of Exeter Medical School, elaborates: “This study is an important first step to identify potential treatment options for this devastating condition. Inflammation in the body and brain are closely associated with symptoms of long COVID. If treatment demonstrates improvements in these measures, this could lead to improved symptoms for people with long COVID. If this study is successful, we hope to progress to a larger study targeting improving symptoms in 2024."
Dr Julian Cole, Country Medical Director, Gilead Sciences UK & Ireland, commented: “Anybody who has suffered from long COVID, or knows somebody who has, will be aware of how debilitating this condition can be and the toll it can take on people’s lives. As a leader in the study of viral infection, Gilead is committed to supporting innovative research in this area and we are delighted to be collaborating on this important study. There is a clear need for people living with long COVID and the hope is that the findings from this study will help further inform how to effectively manage the condition.”