Facilitators and barriers to decentralized Long COVID platform clinical trials using repurposed drugs, 2026, Schito et al.

[Chandelier]

Facilitators and barriers to decentralized Long COVID platform clinical trials using repurposed drugs

Spoiler: Authors

Schito, Marco; Coe, Stacey; Seltzer, Jaime; Davis, Hannah E.; Sukhatme, Vidula; Johnson II, Theodore W.; Stone, Judy; Truong, Alexander D.; Geng, Linda N.; Walker, Tiffany A.

Abstract
Long COVID is an emerging chronic condition that results in substantial impairments in quality of life, physical function, and ability to maintain gainful employment. There are no FDA-approved treatments for Long COVID, and recent institution-based clinical trials have not yielded effective treatments. Current standard of care involves trial-and-error drug repurposing that warrants evaluation in rigorous clinical trials.

Here we describe potential advantages of decentralized repurposing drug trials as an alternative or complementary approach to institution-based trials. Additionally, we describe lessons learned when launching a local feasibility pilot trial that may inform the design of future decentralized trials in the Long COVID field.

Web | DOI | Frontiers in Public Health | Open Access

 

[Utsikt]

It’s a bit concerning that they don’t seem to put any emphasis on ensuring the patients have the right diagnoses.

I also did not see anything about using objective outcomes like e.g. step count. That should be compatible with remote participation because you can just email them the fitbit or whatever you decide to use. The cost could be less than $150 per participant for the monitor, which is peanuts in this context.