Trials target care for critically ill Covid-19 patients
Thursday April 16th, 2020
Two UK universities have embarked on a major clinical trial to study alternatives to ventilator care for patients critically ill with Covid-19.
Warwick University and Queen's University, Belfast, aim to involve 4,000 patients in the study.
The researchers want to examine the prospects for non-invasive treatments such as high-flow nasal oxygen or masks driven by oxygen.
Patients will be offered the chance to participate at an early stage in their hospital care – and would then be assigned a treatment at random.
Chief investigator Professor Gavin Perkins, from Warwick, said: “Clinical trials are the only way to safely study these interventions and to offer patients the additional protections necessary within the carefully controlled environment of a clinical trial, and are the best way to quickly find effective supportive interventions for this global pandemic.”
* The first patient has been treated with a new monoclonal antibody treatment aimed at tackling acute respiratory distress syndrome, US doctors have reported.
Gimsilumab was released last month and targets granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, which is thought to drive hyper-inflammation of the lungs.
The drug has previously undergone phase 1 studies to test for safety and tolerability.
It is now subject to a randomised control trial, aimed at involving 270 patients.
Researcher Professor Gerard Criner, of Temple University, Philadelphia, USA, said: "Emerging evidence suggests that GM-CSF may contribute to clinical worsening in COVID-19. We are proud to participate in this clinical trial testing gimsilumab in this vulnerable patient population."
https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/sci/med/research/ctu/trials/recovery-rs/
Tags: A&E | Flu & Viruses | North America | Pharmaceuticals | UK News
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