Something more relevant28 Jun 2021 15:43
Patrick Chinnery, Chair of UK-CTAP and Medical Research Council Clinical Director, explains how the panel reaches its conclusions on which treatments to prioritise:
Although there are similarities with other respiratory illnesses like flu and pneumonia, COVID-19 is a bit different. As well as damaging the lungs, the disease can also have an overwhelming effect on the immune system and cause blood clots, so we’re looking at drugs covering a range of disease mechanisms and modes of action.
For each potential treatment we’ll examine whether there is a plausible mechanism of action against COVID-19 or its complications, any evidence that it might work in COVID-19 patients, and whether it’s being tested anywhere else in the world.
We’ll also consider whether it’s a medicine that could actually be used in the NHS if it works – is it available, affordable and able to be manufactured at scale?