Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy

In 2019 a novel coronavirus-induced disease (COVID-19) emerged in Wuhan, China. A month later the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention identified a new beta-coronavirus (SARS coronavirus 2, or SARS-CoV-2) as the aetiological agent. The clinical manifestations of COVID-19 range from asymptomatic infection or mild, transient symptoms to severe viral pneumonia with respiratory failure. As many patients do not progress to severe disease the overall case fatality rate per infected individual is low, but hospitals in areas with significant community transmission have experienced a major increase in the number of hospitalized pneumonia patients, and the frequency of severe disease in hospitalised patients can be as high as 30%. The progression from prodrome (usually fever, fatigue and cough) to severe pneumonia requiring oxygen support or mechanical ventilation often takes one to two weeks after the onset of symptoms. The kinetics of viral replication in the respiratory tract are not well characterized, but this relatively slow progression provides a potential time window in which antiviral therapies could influence the course of disease.

There are currently no approved anti-viral or host-directed treatments for COVID-19. This study allows reliable assessment of the effects of multiple different treatments (including re-purposed and novel drugs) on major outcomes in COVID-19. All patients will receive usual care for the participating hospital.

Additional information can be found on the official trial website: https://www.recoverytrial.net/