Summary of TACTIC-R protocol published by BMC

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 7^th May 2020. The trial has three arms in a parallel-group, randomised design.

The treatments currently being tested are:

• 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.

• 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.

• Standard of Care – itself evolving as data emerge from other clinical trials.

For more information visit: CamCovidTrials

Published July 8, 2020