The first Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) patient has taken part in a research trial which is testing potential treatments for COVID-19 (coronavirus).

The patient was recruited to the RECOVERY trial at Wythenshawe Hospital on 31 March, as part of a multidisciplinary team effort to tackle the disease.

This trial is available to adult COVID-19 patients being cared for at MFT, which Wythenshawe Hospital is part of. The first Manchester Royal Infirmary patient was recruited on 1 April, bringing the current number of MFT patients participating in the RECOVERY trial to six.

There are currently no approved treatments for COVID-19, but the Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 therapy ‘RECOVERY’ trial aims to assess the effects of different treatments in people with coronavirus.

It is testing three existing therapies as potential treatments for COVID-19:

• Lopinavir-Ritonavir (commonly used to treat HIV)
• Low-dose Dexamethasone (a type of steroid, which is used in a range of conditions typically to reduce inflammation).
• Hydroxychloroquine (related to an anti-malarial drug).

RECOVERY is taking place at hospitals across the UK, sponsored by the University of Oxford, with MFT a participating site.

Other COVID-19 research trials have begun at MFT, with more due to open in the coming days and almost 100 patients recruited to COVID-19 trials at MFT so far.

Dr Tim Felton, Honorary Consultant in Intensive Care and Respiratory Medicine at Wythenshawe Hospital and Clinical Lead for all MFT COIVID-19-related studies, said: “It’s fantastic that we’ve recruited our first patient to the RECOVERY trial at MFT.

“Our research spans four workstreams – data, diagnostics, observational and treatments – RECOVERY is one of our ‘treatment’ studies and is looking at different medications we can use to treat patients with COVID-19.

“Congratulations to the team for recruiting our first patient the day the study opened, which is a fantastic effort. But more importantly still, I’d like to say thank you to the patients taking part in our COVID-19 studies who are playing a vital role in helping us understand more about this disease.”

More information can be found in the RECOVERY website: recoverytrial.net.