UNIVERSITY HOSPITALS OF DERBY AND BURTON NHS FOUNDATION TRUST

UK Launches First Anti-Viral Drug Trial for Long COVID Treatment

- Researchers from the University of Derby and Plymouth have initiated the UK's first anti-viral drug trial for long COVID, testing medication previously used only for hospitalized COVID-19 patients. - The £1.25m ERASE project involves 72 participants receiving intravenous anti-viral treatment over five days, aiming to address symptoms like fatigue, breathlessness, and brain fog affecting over 2 million UK residents. - Early participant Ryan Cawley reports significant improvement in symptoms after receiving the treatment, describing feeling "like I have been given a new pair of lungs" and experiencing an "upward trajectory to recovery."