12,000 care home residents are needed to test new Covid treatment

Last Updated: 24 Mar 2021 @ 14:08 PM
Article By: Sue Learner

The government is funding two new clinical trials to stop the transmission of COVID-19 and wants to test treatments on residents in 400 care homes as well as vulnerable people with weakened immune systems.

The two studies are being backed by up to £3.2m of government funding and if the treatments are successful they will be made available on the NHS and will mean care home residents as well as those with lower immune systems, such as cancer patients, for whom COVID-19 vaccines may be less effective, will have additional protection.

Matt Hancock, Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have worked to find the best treatments the world has to offer for COVID-19.

“It’s down to this dedication and the renowned expertise of British scientists, supported by taxpayers, that the UK was able to identify and rollout two lifesaving treatments for COVID-19 to NHS patients – dexamethasone and tocilizumab.”

He added: “The government is backing two more innovative UK-based clinical trials into effective therapeutics, this time specifically for the most vulnerable groups who need them most.”

The PROTECT-CH trial, run by the University of Nottingham, will look at treatments for care home residents in reducing transmission and serious illness from the virus. The trial will begin in May 2021 and last around two years. It aims to recruit more than 400 care homes to take part, covering around 12,000 elderly residents, with any approved treatments having the potential to be rolled out to the 420,000 care home residents across the UK.

Professor Philip Bath, lead researcher for PROTECT-CH at the University of Nottingham, said: "Care homes have seen high rates of illness and death due to COVID-19 throughout the pandemic.

“Apart from vaccines, there are no drugs for preventing serious Covid-19 and the PROTECT-CH trial is designed to test drugs that might reduce infection, hospital admission and death."

The PROTECT-V trial, run by the University of Cambridge, will look at potential COVID-19 treatments’ effectiveness in reducing the spread of the virus amongst immunocompromised groups. It launched this month and will last at least 12 months. There are at least 500,000 people who could benefit from these treatments in England alone, and 2,250 are expected to take part in the clinical trial.

The two trials will evaluate prophylactic treatments

Professor Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England and co-lead for the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), said: “These two important NIHR-funded studies will evaluate prophylactic treatments for COVID-19 in care homes and for those with compromised immune systems.

“The more proven clinical tools we can use to protect these very vulnerable groups the better, so I encourage as many eligible individuals, care home operators and residents to take part in these studies.”

Lord Bethell, Minister for Innovation, added: “The UK has shown time and time again its tenacity in identifying safe and effective treatments for COVID-19, and we are working tirelessly to support these innovations so they can help protect people in all corners of the UK.

“Vulnerable groups have been disproportionately impacted by the virus and these government-funded trials will provide us with invaluable data so we can ensure they get every possible form of defence against the virus.

“I urge as many care homes and eligible people to sign up for these trials as possible, and to play a part in securing future treatments for the most at-risk in our society.”

The clinical trials have now received Urgent Public Health badging status from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). PROTECT-CH has been awarded £1.7 million of government funding. PROTECT-V has been awarded an additional up to £1.5 million to expand its trial platform.

More info on PROTECT-CH can be found at: https://www.protect-trial.net/