Ground-breaking Covid-19 antiviral treatment trial begins search for volunteers

Shoppers on Regents Street, London, as England takes another step back towards normality with the further easing of lockdown restrictions. Picture date: Monday April 12, 2021.
More than 10,000 volunteers are needed for new 'first of its kind' Covid trial. Credit: PA Images

Local GPs and healthcare professionals have today begun enrolling participants across Yorkshire and the Humber to a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of new oral antiviral treatments for Covid-19, which can be safely taken at home.

The PANORAMIC trial, the first of its kind, will rapidly assess a range of purpose-designed antiviral treatments which could help clinically vulnerable people with coronavirus in the community recover sooner, prevent the need for hospital admission and ease the burden on the NHS. 

These new antiviral treatments are intended for use in the very early stages of infection, by people in the community with Covid who are at higher risk of complications. 

How to take part?

Local people can join the study if they are aged 50 and over, or between 18 and 49 with underlying health conditions that make them clinically more vulnerable.

All participants also need to have had a positive test and be within five days of the onset of symptoms.To enable the benefit of each treatment to be compared against standard care - a total of 10,600 volunteers are needed to take part in each arm of the study.

Half of the participants will be randomly allocated to receive the antiviral treatment plus standard care, while the other half will receive standard care alone. 

The PANORAMIC study brings together GP practices, NHS 111, Test and Trace, care homes, pharmacies and other NHS and social care service providers from Yorkshire and Humber and right across the UK - who will actively identify potential participants, invite them to take part and support their participation.

Taking part is easy

Local people who receive a positive PCR test will be contacted by the trial team or a local healthcare professional, such as a GP or a research nurse, to consider enrolling in the study.

Alternatively, anyone who meets the eligibility criteria can also sign-up to take part in the study directly through the trial website

All participants take part from their own homes, without needing to visit a clinic or hospital. Participants randomised to the group that receives an antiviral treatment will have their medicines sent directly to their homes by courier.

Participants will keep a daily diary for 28 days through the PANORAMIC website or receive a phone call from the trial team on days seven, 14 and 28 to speak about their symptoms and any NHS care they have needed.

PANORAMIC has been designed as a ‘platform clinical trial’, meaning it can rapidly evaluate several antiviral treatments, as and when they become available.

The first treatment to be investigated through the trial will be a Covid antiviral pill - which has already been licensed by the MHRA. 

The results from this highest priority national study will provide a clearer understanding on how antivirals work in the UK population - which has a high vaccination rate - enabling the NHS to better plan how to make coronavirus antivirals available for those who would benefit from them the most.