Southampton researchers are investigating if promising COVID-19 treatments can help other hospital patients and ease NHS winter pressures.
The ACCORD trial, led by Prof Tom Wilkinson, was set up during the height of the pandemic. The aim was to accelerate the development of new drugs for patients hospitalised with COVID-19.
Now, promising medicines from this trial are being tested as treatments for patients hospitalised with other lung conditions. If successful, these could greatly reduce NHS winter pressures.
Identifying new treatments
Respiratory diseases affect one in five people in the UK and are the third biggest cause of death in England. They are a major contributor to the winter pressures faced by the NHS.
Two of the three drugs tested in the ACCORD trial – tozorakimab and bemcentinib – have shown promise as treatments for patients with COVID-19 and are now progressing to larger trials.
These have the potential to help patients hospitalised with other lung infections. Tozorakimab, for example, targets a protein that is raised in many different respiratory infections.
Helping more patients
Prof Wilkinson leads the respiratory and allergy theme at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. He is Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Associate Dean for Enterprise at the University of Southampton.
He is now leading the UNIVERSAL study. This is harnessing advances in testing to identify and monitor people hospitalised with a viral respiratory infection. It aims to better understand how and when viral infections in the lungs and airways get worse, and develop effective antiviral treatments.
Alongside this, he is jointly leading the TILIA study, which aims to test the efficacy and safety of tozorakimab in hospital patients with viral lung infections who require oxygen.