Covid pill trial to take place in Norfolk

Posted:
10:47 a.m. December 9, 2021

Update:
11:13 AM December 9, 2021

Hundreds of people in Norfolk are to participate in the trial of a ‘game-changing’ coronavirus pill that can be taken at home.

GPs and healthcare professionals have started enrolling participants in the antiviral pill, which Health Secretary Sajid Javid has described as a “game changer for the most vulnerable and the immunocompromised.”

Health Secretary Sajid Javid
– Credit: PA Wire / PA Images

The pill molnupiravir (branded by Lagevrio), approved by the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency, is intended for use at the very early stage of infection, by people at higher risk of complications.

OneNorwich Practices, made up of more than 30 GP practices across the city, are among those selected to participate.

The Platform Adaptive of NOvel antiviRals for eArly treatment of Covid-19 In the Community (PANORAMIC) trial will test whether the pill helps clinically vulnerable people with Covid-19 in the community recover faster, avoid the need for hospitalization and ease the burden on the NHS.

Lagevrio antiviral pills (molnupiravir), produced by Merck & Co.
– Credit: Merck & Co

Local populations may participate in the study if they are aged 50 and over, or between 18 and 49 years old with underlying health issues that make them clinically more vulnerable.

All participants must also have had a positive Covid-19 test and be within five days of symptom onset.

To allow the benefits of each treatment to be compared to standard care, a total of 10,600 volunteers are needed in the east of England to participate in each part of the study.

Half of the participants will be randomized to receive antiviral treatment plus standard care, while the other half will receive only standard care.

The study brings together GP, NHS 111, Test and Trace, nursing homes, pharmacies and other social and NHS service providers from the east of England and the UK, who actively identify potential participants, invite them to participate and support their participation.

People in Norfolk who receive a positive PCR test for Covid-19 will be contacted by the testing team or a local healthcare professional, such as a general practitioner or research nurse, to consider enrolling in the study.

Alternatively, anyone who meets the eligibility criteria can also register to participate in the study directly through the trial website at www.panoramictrial.org

All participants participate from their homes, without the need to visit a clinic or hospital.

Dr Serge Engamba, Principal Investigator of the PANORAMIC trial at the Norfolk and Waveney NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and Primary Care Manager for the Eastern Clinical Research Network at the National Institute for Health Research.
– Credit: National Institute for Health Research

Dr Serge Engamba, Principal Investigator of the PANORAMIC trial at the Norfolk and Waveney NHS Clinical Commissioning Group and Primary Care Officer for the National Institute for Health Research’s Clinical Research Network Eastern, said: “The PANORAMIC trial is essential to find new treatments that can fight the virus directly, giving those most vulnerable an additional chance to avoid hospitalizations and life-threatening symptoms.

“His innovative approach may mean that new life-saving treatments are quickly identified and can be made available in the community.

“OneNorwich Practices Research Hub is very pleased to have been selected as one of the sites to carry out this revolutionary endeavor, and we hope that as many people as possible will benefit from it. “