Derby: New anti-viral drug study aims to cure long Covid

Long Covid symptoms include extreme fatigue and breathlessness, palpitations, or brain fog

A team of experts have started a new trial to test if an anti-viral drug could cure people with "long Covid".

The University of Derby is leading the £1.2m study that involves about 100 people who have lived with the condition for more than two years.

Dr Mark Faghy said the nine-month project would test remdesivir, which had been used to treat acute Covid.

Long Covid symptoms include extreme fatigue and breathlessness, palpitations, or brain fog.

Dr Faghy, who is also a associate professor in respiratory physiology at the university and is leading the study, said in many cases the condition could be debilitating, interfere with work, family life and socialising.

He said it was estimated about 1.9m people in the UK and more than 144m globally lived with long Covid and almost a quarter of sufferers had their symptoms for more than two years.

Dr Mark Faghy described the study as "critically important"

Patients eligible to take part in the trial will undergo a series of tests before and after they are given remdesivir, including exercise tolerability, to monitor any improvements.

Body scans will also be analysed to check if the anti-viral medication has reduced the ongoing inflammation, which is found in people with long Covid.

Dr Faghy said there had been "no confirmed treatments" that have improved long Covid symptoms, which was why the ground-breaking study was "critically important".

"This project will shed light on whether using existing antiviral treatment could help address this global challenge," he added.

It is believed long Covid is caused by the virus remaining within specific cells

The university is working with University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust, and the University of Exeter and Gilead Sciences, Inc.

Prof David Strain, the clinical lead at the University of Exeter Medical School, said although the cause of long Covid was not yet clear, it was believed the virus persisted within specific cells, which then causes an inflammatory response and a wide range of prolonged symptoms.

"Inflammation in the body and brain are closely associated with symptoms of long Covid," he said.

"If treatment demonstrates improvements in these measures, this could lead to improved symptoms for people with long Covid."

He added if the findings were positive a larger study could be carried out next year into further understanding how to effectively manage the condition.

Dr Julian Cole, country medical director at Gilead Sciences UK and Ireland, which has funded the research, added it was an "important study", which the the firm was "delighted" to support.