Vanderbilt-led effort to test long COVID treatment is expanding
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Vanderbilt Health is leading the charge in a growing effort to test potential treatments for debilitating long COVID symptoms.
Why it matters: More than 20 million American adults have experienced long-term symptoms after getting COVID-19, according to experts. But researchers have yet to identify an effective treatment.
- The expanded study out of Vanderbilt could expedite the process and identify successful treatments faster.
Threat level: Research has identified a wide range of symptoms associated with long COVID, including fatigue, brain fog, dizziness, chest pains and shortness of breath.
- Some research suggests it can increase a person's long-term risk of developing serious conditions such as heart and lung disease.
Reality check: There are still many unknowns about the condition.
State of play: The Vanderbilt Health trial is seeking to determine whether a medicine called baricitinib could help reduce brain and cardiovascular problems for patients with long COVID.
- Researchers secured their first wave of federal funding for the trial in 2024. It initially included patients at Vanderbilt and three other institutions.
- Now, a new pool of funding from National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases is helping to massively expand the effort by allowing participants from 13 additional hospitals nationwide.
What he's saying: E. Wesley Ely, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) professor who serves as principal investigator for the trial, said the new infusion of resources signals an effort "to get answers faster for those who are suffering."
- "Long COVID is a massive yet under-recognized global public health problem," Ely said in a statement.
- "Through this premier high-touch multicenter trial, we aim to reduce the gap of knowledge regarding this multisystem disease that can be so devastating to the long-term well-being of millions."
Between the lines: The FDA previously approved baricitinib to treat ICU patients acute COVID.
How it works: To determine whether the medicine is effective for long COVID, researchers are looking for 550 adult participants who have memory and thinking problems following a bout with COVID.
- Participants will either receive baricitinib or a placebo. The year-long study will track how baricitinib affects brain, heart and lung function.
- VUMC is already enrolling participants. Others interested in joining the trial can learn more and sign up online to participate.