Thread by @MartinLandray

Latest paper from RECOVERY trial:

In patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, lopinavir–ritonavir did not reduce 28-day mortality, duration of hospital stay, or risk of progressing to invasive mechanical ventilation or death.

thelancet.com/journals/lance…

Lopinavir-ritonavir is an HIV treatment that was widely recommended and used for #COVID19. The RECOVERY trial has shown it does not work - so doctors no longer use it.

That’s why we do trials - to separate out drugs we think might work from drugs we know do work.

As always, huge thanks to all involved including funders (@UKRI_News @NIHRresearch), colleagues (@OxfordBRC @hdruk @Oxford_NDPH @NDMOxford), the NHS (@NHSEngland @NHSDigital) and the thousands of medical staff across the whole UK.

But most especially to our amazing patients.

Independent Comment from Prof Stephen Evans @lshtm "The publication of this paper shows the outstanding merits of having large, relatively simple, randomised trials of treatments."

sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reactio…

"It is a scandal that this approach has not been replicated worldwide.. to capture a v much larger % of those admitted to hospital with Covid19. Had this been done we would have had much more rapid & much higher quality answers to vital clinical questions" sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reactio…

To add from me: @WHO #SOLIDARITY trial is the other major randomised clinical trial platform evaluating which treatments are effective. HCQ & lopinavir-ritonavir arms already stopped for lack of efficacy (supporting findings from RECOVERY). IFN & remdesivir results soon, I hope.

Two recent overviews on the role large randomised trials play in establishing how best to treat COVID-19 and improve the situation for patients, health systems, and society:
thelancet.com/journals/lanre…

...and
thelancet.com/journals/lanre…

Here is that second paper - on SOLIDARITY + RECOVERY trials:

nature.com/articles/s4159…