Recently, the first participants have been included in the RECLAIM study. The RECLAIM study is a platform trial focused on post-COVID, with the main goal of identifying effective and safe drugs for patients affected by post-COVID. There is a special focus on drugs already on the market for other therapeutic indications. Currently, the effects of the drugs metformin and colchicine are being compared with standard care.
Post-COVID can occur after acute infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the corona virus). Most people who get corona recover from it, but there is also a group of people who maintain long-term symptoms. We call this post-COVID. Post-COVID occurs when someone continues to have symptoms 3 months after a corona infection and there is no other medical explanation for these symptoms. Post-COVID is similar to other conditions that can develop after one has had an infectious disease, such as Q fever, ME/CFS and Lyme disease. These conditions all fall under the name Post Acute Infectious Syndrome (PAIS). There is currently no proven treatment that cures post-COVID. Therefore, more scientific research is needed into the causes and treatments of post-COVID. UMC Utrecht is one of the institutions that will conduct promising research projects, thanks to funding from the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport and ZonMw.
The RECLAIM study is conducted entirely remotely, allowing adult patients from all over the Netherlands to participate. The focus is on patients with persistent fatigue and/or post-exertional malaise (PEM) after a corona infection. Study participants will take the medication for 3 months and are followed for six months by completing questionnaires and interviews with the research team.
The RECLAIM study is coordinated by Janneke van de Wijgert, MD PhD and professor of epidemiology of infectious and immune-mediated diseases at UMC Utrecht, in collaboration with the Ecraid Foundation. Both organizations are part of a larger consortium, the Post-COVID Network Netherlands (PCNN). PCNN is a national consortium in which patients, scientists, healthcare professionals and community partners collaborate to align scientific research and patient care for people with post-COVID.
Post-COVID is also referred to as Long COVID or Post-COVID Condition or Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC). Long-term effects of COVID can be different for everyone, and they can affect many different parts of the body, such as the brain, heart and lungs. Persistent symptoms commonly associated with post-COVID are diverse and may include:
Patients who wish to participate should register at www.postcovidonderzoek.nl in the patient portal of the post-COVID Network Netherlands (PCNN). Please indicate in the portal that you are interested in participating in drug research. Although recruitment has now started, you can still register. Due to high interest, the chance that you will be approached to participate in the current (sub)study is relatively small (interested parties will be approached randomly). However, other drugs will be evaluated in the future, in this sub-study you again have a chance to be approached for participation.
