The National Institutes of Health is beginning a handful of studies to test possible treatments for long COVID, an anxiously awaited step in U.S. efforts against the mysterious condition that afflicts millions.
MondayB次元官网网址檚 announcement from the NIHB次元官网网址檚 $1.15 billion comes amid frustration from patients whoB次元官网网址檝e struggled for months or even years with sometimes-disabling health problems B次元官网网址� with no proven treatments and only a smattering of rigorous studies to test potential ones.
B次元官网网址淭his is a year or two late and smaller in scope than one would hope but nevertheless itB次元官网网址檚 a step in the right direction,B次元官网网址� said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly of Washington University in St. Louis, who isnB次元官网网址檛 involved with NIHB次元官网网址檚 project but whose own research . Getting answers is critical, he added, because B次元官网网址渢hereB次元官网网址檚 a lot of people out there exploiting patientsB次元官网网址� vulnerabilityB次元官网网址� with unproven therapies.
Scientists donB次元官网网址檛 yet know what causes long COVID, the catchall term for about 200 widely varying symptoms. Between 10% and 30% of people are estimated to have experienced some form of long COVID after recovering from a coronavirus infection, a risk that has dropped somewhat since early in the pandemic.
B次元官网网址淚f I get 10 people, I get 10 answers of what long COVID really is,B次元官网网址� U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said.
ThatB次元官网网址檚 why so far the RECOVER initiative has tracked 24,000 patients in observational studies to help define the most common and burdensome symptoms B次元官网网址� findings that now are shaping multipronged treatment trials. The first two will look at:
B次元官网网址� Whether taking up to 25 days of PfizerB次元官网网址檚 antiviral drug Paxlovid could ease long COVID, because of a theory that some live coronavirus, or its remnants, may hide in the body and trigger the disorder. Normally Paxlovid is used when people first get COVID-19 and for just five days.
B次元官网网址� Treatments for B次元官网网址渂rain fogB次元官网网址� and other cognitive problems. They include Posit Science Corp.B次元官网网址檚 BrainHQ cognitive training program, another called PASC-Cognitive Recovery by New York CityB次元官网网址檚 Mount Sinai Health System, and a Soterix Medical device that electrically stimulates brain circuits.
Two additional studies will open in the coming months. One will test treatments for sleep problems. The other will target problems with the autonomic nervous system B次元官网网址� which controls unconscious functions like breathing and heartbeat B次元官网网址� including the disorder called POTS.
A more controversial study of exercise intolerance and fatigue also is planned, with NIH seeking input from some patient groups worried that exercise may do more harm than good for certain long COVID sufferers.
The trials are enrolling 300 to 900 adult participants for now but have the potential to grow. Unlike typical experiments that test one treatment at a time, these more flexible B次元官网网址減latform studiesB次元官网网址� will let NIH add additional potential therapies on a rolling basis.
B次元官网网址淲e can rapidly pivot,B次元官网网址� Dr. Amy Patterson with the NIH explained. A failing treatment can be dropped without ending the entire trial and B次元官网网址渋f something promising comes on the horizon, we can plug it in.B次元官网网址�
The flexibility could be key, according to Dr. Anthony Komaroff, a Harvard researcher who isnB次元官网网址檛 involved with the NIH program but has long studied a similarly mysterious disorder known as chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS. For example, he said, the Paxlovid study B次元官网网址渕akes all sorts of sense,B次元官网网址� but if a 25-day dose shows only hints of working, researchers could extend the test to a longer course instead of starting from scratch.
Komaroff also said that he understands peopleB次元官网网址檚 frustration over the wait for these treatment trials, but believes NIH appropriately waited B次元官网网址渦ntil some clues came in about the underlying biology,B次元官网网址� adding: B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e got to have targets.B次元官网网址�
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