Clinical Trials

 RECOVER is conducting Long COVID clinical trials in 2 phases. 

• RECOVER Clinical Trials (RECOVER-CT)
• RECOVER-Treating Long COVID (RECOVER-TLC)

RECOVER-CT

The RECOVER-CT program launched in July 2023 and its trials are ongoing. The design of these trials is informed by findings from other RECOVER studies and conversations with people living with Long COVID. Researchers are testing the safety and effectiveness of 13 possible treatments across 8 trials covering 5 types of symptoms.

Autonomic dysfunction: Dizziness, fast heart rate, shortness of breath, upset stomach, or other changes in automatic body functions.

Cognitive dysfunction: Brain fog (having difficulty concentrating, thinking clearly, or remembering things) and other symptoms related to brain function.

Exercise intolerance and fatigue: Tiredness or low energy that interferes with daily activities.

Sleep disturbances: Changes in sleep patterns or the ability to sleep.

Viral persistence: When SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, stays in the body and damages organs or affects the immune system.

RECOVER-TLC

In August 2024, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched RECOVER-TLC, which is led by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). 

RECOVER-TLC is working with patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, researchers, government officials, and private industry to plan the second phase of RECOVER clinical trials. To date, RECOVER-TLC has received more than 550 ideas for possible treatments from the Long COVID community. Four of these ideas have been selected for testing in the first round of RECOVER-TLC clinical trials. 

RECOVER-TLC

REVERSE-LC, a RECOVER-TLC clinical trial testing the safety and effectiveness of the drug baricitinib, is currently enrolling.

Planning is underway for 3 additional RECOVER-TLC clinical trials. 

Visit the RECOVER-TLC website for the latest information about the status of these clinical trials.

RECOVER-CT

Enrollment in RECOVER-CT trials is now complete.

In RECOVER clinical trials, people with Long COVID volunteer to take medicines, use medical devices, or try other therapies to see if these study treatments improve their health.

RECOVER-CT

RECOVER-CT clinical trials are randomized controlled trials (RCT). In this type of trial, researchers randomly assign study participants to one of two groups. The first group receives the treatment being evaluated while some do not. The second group, called the control or comparator group, receives one of the following instead of the treatment being evaluated:

• A treatment different from the one being evaluated.
• The healthcare they would normally receive.
• A placebo, which is a drug, device, or therapy which resembles the treatment being evaluated but has no measurable effect on a person’s health. 

RCTs allow researchers to make more accurate comparisons between the health of people who took the treatment being studied and the people who did not. 

RECOVER-CT clinical trials are also multi-center. Multi-center trials enroll study participants at multiple locations. This method allows RECOVER researchers across the country to understand how Long COVID can affect everyone differently and develop treatments that work for as many people as possible.

Some RECOVER-CT clinical trials are multi-arm. Multi-arm trials can study more than one possible treatment at the same time. This method allows researchers to identify potentially safe and effective Long COVID treatments more quickly. 

To further accelerate progress, some RECOVER-CT clinical trials study repurposed drugs. Repurposed drugs are medicines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat health conditions that are not related to Long COVID. Each of these repurposed drugs must be studied as a possible treatment for Long COVID symptoms before the FDA can approve the drug to be used as a treatment for this health condition.

RECOVER-TLC

Based on input provided by scientists, healthcare providers, and people with lived experience of Long COVID, researchers are currently designing RECOVER-TLC clinical trials. Read the RECOVER-TLC FAQs to learn more about how possible treatments are being identified, evaluated, and selected for testing in the next phase of RECOVER clinical trials.

Each RECOVER clinical trial uses a research protocol. A protocol is a step-by-step plan that researchers follow when conducting research. Protocols help keep clinical trials on track while protecting the safety of study participants and ensuring the quality of study results.

Visit the RECOVER-CT website to view the protocols and related materials for the first 8 RECOVER clinical trials.

Protocols for RECOVER-TLC clinical trials are under development. Members of the public will have opportunities to review and comment on draft summaries of these protocols. Announcements of these public comment periods, including instructions on how to participate, will be posted to the News & Events page.