Coronavirus: Queen Alexandra Hospital staff recruit more than 100 Portsmouth patients for Covid-19 drug trial

The team at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust are offering adult patients within Queen Alexandra Hospital, who have tested positive for Covid-19 and who have not been excluded for medical reasons, the chance to join the Recovery (Randomised Evaluation of Covid-19 Therapy) trial.

The nationwide trial, which has been classed as an urgent public health research study, will see participants receive one of the drugs being studied or no additional medication.

Tom Brown, consultant respiratory physician at PHT, said: ‘The fact that we have managed to recruit so many patients to this trial so quickly, is testament to the team’s ability to engage with both clinical staff and patients alike.

‘However this success would not have been possible without the significant enthusiasm and support from clinical teams throughout the hospital who have been instrumental in helping us reach this milestone.’

Some of the drugs that will be tested are lopinavir-ritonavir (commonly used to treat HIV), hydroxychloroquine (related to an anti-malaria drug and in the headlines after Donald Trump said he was taking it), azithromycin (a commonly used antibiotic) and tocilizumab (an anti-inflammatory treatment given by injection).

The UK’s four chief medical officers and NHS England and NHS Improvement’s national medical director have written a joint letter to every NHS trust in the country asking that all efforts are made to enrol patients into nationally prioritised clinical trials on COVID-19.

The trials now need patients recruited as quickly as reasonably possible, as ‘the faster that patients are recruited, the sooner we will get reliable results,’ the letter states.

Dr Brown added: ‘Although these treatments are promising, we cannot be sure that they will be more effective in helping patients recover from Covid-19 than the excellent care currently offered to all patients. That is why clinical trials are so important, so we can ensure that patients are getting the most effective and timely treatment.

‘Most importantly, we would also like to thank the patients who have been involved, as without their willingness to participate, we would not be able to undertake this important research.’

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