Big breakthrough in trial of Covid drug in the East
Thousands of people in our region have been helping with clinical trials
Last updated 4th Mar 2022
A clinical trial in the East looking at the effects of an arthritis drug on Covid-19 says its made another big breakthrough.
The world's largest Covid-19 treatment trial has found that an anti-inflammatory drug, usually used to treat arthritis, reduces death in patients hospitalised with Coronavirus by around a fifth.
The RECOVERY trial, which is being funded by the National Institute for Health Research, has been looking into treatments for people hospitalised with Covid-19 since March 2020.
Every acute hospital in the East has recruited people to get involved in the study, with over three thousand in the region taking part so far.
Nationally, between February and December 2021, 4,008 patients randomly allocated to usual care alone were compared with 4,148 patients who were randomly allocated to usual care plus baricitinib.
Researchers say the benefit of baricitinib was consistent regardless of which other COVID-19 treatments the patients were also receiving, including corticosteroids, tocilizumab, or remdesivir.
Patients receiving baricitinib were also more likely to be discharged alive within 28 days.
Among patients not on invasive mechanical ventilation when entered into the trial, baricitinib reduced the chance of progressing to invasive mechanical ventilation or death from 17% to 16%.
The RECOVERY trial has recruited over 47,000 participants nationwide and is now considered the world’s largest clinical trial for COVID-19 treatments.
Since starting, the study has also discovered that dexamethasone, a steroid used to treat a wide range of health conditions, can help reduce deaths by one third among the sickest patients and that tocilizumab, an immunosuppressive drug, can further reduce the risk of death from severe COVID-19.
Dr Helen Macdonald, Chief Operating Officer for the NIHR Clinical Research Network Eastern, said: "We welcome the news of this latest breakthrough thanks to this vital research, carried out with immense dedication by our research teams alongside their multidisciplinary colleagues.
"Research breakthroughs such as this are not possible without the patients and their loved ones who volunteer to help. We are enormously grateful to every single person involved in the RECOVERY trial.”
Baricitnib is the fourth treatment the RECOVERY trial has shown to save lives, following the steroid dexamethasone, the arthritis treatment tocilizumab, and a combination of monoclonal antibodies targeting the viral spike protein, known as Ronapreve.
These discoveries have changed clinical practice worldwide and been credited with saving hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of lives.