By Portia O’Toole
In February 2022, then Prime Minister Boris Johnson declared that the country had “emerged from the teeth of the pandemic before many others”, but life for millions of people would never be the same again.
It is believed that up to 2 million people in the UK are now living with Long Covid, an inflammatory condition which can cause excessive fatigue, shortness of breath, joint pain and memory problems, among other things.
The University of Leicester is now running a clinical trial in an attempt to find the first licensed drug that can be used as a treatment for this debilitating condition.
In this ground-breaking study, 152 volunteers will test either an anti-inflammatory drug or a placebo (dummy drug). The hopes are that the medication will lessen the inflammation within the body and reduce the symptoms the person is experiencing.
The university concluded phase II of the study in December 2025, and the results are expected by 31 July 2026.
In all, 15 hospital sites across the country are participating so data will be collated from each one to build a bigger, more representative and accurate picture. After that, researchers hope to then know whether they are any closer to having a first line treatment for Long Covid.
If successful, this could potentially transform the lives of many people, including the approximately 30,000 people who have had to give up work due to chronic ongoing symptoms.
More information on the study can be found at this link.