Summary of TACTIC-R protocol published by BMC
A structured summary of a study protocol for a randomised controlled trial of Repurposed immunomodulatory drugs for Covid-19 in pre-ICu patients - mulTi-Arm Therapeutic study in pre-ICu patients admitted with Covid-19 – Repurposed Drugs (TACTIC-R) has been published in the BioMed Central Journal.
The TACTIC programme emerged from the hypothesis that immunomodulation would be likely to reduce the severity of COVID-19-related disease – a model supported by results from the RECOVERY trial indicating that a corticosteroid, dexamethasone, reduces mortality in patients with severe disease. TACTIC has been designed to assess selected medications which modify aspects of the immune response. These medications have been chosen by a consortium of clinicians and clinician-scientists with expertise in the treatment of immune-mediated disease and it is hoped that they will further reduce morbidity and mortality from COVID-19-related disease.
The TACTIC-R trial, using licensed drugs ‘Repurposed’ for the treatment of COVID-19-related disease, launched in Cambridge on 7th May 2020. The trial has three arms in a parallel-group, randomised design.
The treatments currently being tested are:
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Baricitinib – a drug routinely used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, which reduces soluble signals in the immune system called cytokines. It is hypothesised that this will reduce the damaging inflammatory drive in COVID-19-related disease.
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Ravulizumab – a drug used to treat a form of anaemia caused by the person’s immune system; this blocks activation of a cascade of soluble molecules which amplify inflammatory signals and, ultimately, destroy cells.
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Standard of Care – itself evolving as data emerge from other clinical trials.
For more information visit: CamCovidTrials
Published July 8, 2020
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