Patients in Larbert hospital taking part in Covid-19 treatment trial

The Larbert patients have agreed to be part of the RECOVERY clinical trial – the world’s largest and fastest growing clinical trial, which has more than 7000 patients recruited to date.

FVRH began it’s part of the study April 10, thanks to what they say was “a fantastic collaboration” between local respiratory physicians, infectious diseases and intensive care consultants, junior doctors, pharmacy teams and NHS Forth Valley’s Clinical Research Team.

The study aims to find effective treatment for COVID-19 by testing pre-existing medicines.

These includes steroids, antivirals, antimalarial agents and antibiotics, with the trial also including an adaptive design that enables other potentially useful treatments to be quickly introduced for investigation.

All patients being treated at Forth Valley Royal Hospital for COVID-19 are invited to participate in the clinical trial and those who agree are selected randomly to either be given an active drug or to receive standard care.

The RECOVERY trial is one of a number of research projects being supported by NHS Forth Valley’s Clinical Research Team to advance research, development and evidence related to COVID-19 as quickly as possible.

Local principal investigator for the RECOVERY trial and NHS Forth Valley Consultant respiratory physician, Dr Mark Spears, said: “Clinical research is of crucial importance for the NHS as it helps improve patient care and treatment.

The RECOVERY trial is an excellent example of this as it is one of the largest trials in the world involved in identifying potential treatments for patients hospitalised for COVID-19.

“This trial has generated significant interest which reflects the desire of local staff to improve outcomes for our patients.

“Many departments, services and individuals across NHS Forth Valley have played a role in bringing this trial to Forth Valley Royal Hospital and I would like to thank everyone involved for their support.”

The UK-wide study is funded by the UK government in response to the global pandemic and the pressures it has created on the NHS.

The Chief Scientist Office (CSO) of Scottish Government and NHS Research Scotland support a single, national prioritisation process for COVID-19 research therefore ensuring resources and capacity of the health care system are not exceeded.

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