The world’s largest randomised clinical trial of potential Covid-19 treatments has started in the UK to find a treatment for the disease. 

The trial, named the Randomised Evaluation of Covid19 Therapy (Recovery), is testing a number of medicines recommended by an expert panel advising the chief medical officer for England. They include Lopinavir-Ritonavir, commonly used to treat HIV, dexamethasone, a type of steroid use in a range of conditions to reduce inflammation, and hydroxychloroquine, a treatment for malaria.

The trial is being coordinated by researchers at the University of Oxford, led by Peter Horby, professor of emerging infectious diseases and global health in the Nuffield Department of Medicine and Martin Landray, professor of medicine and epidemiology at the Nuffield Department of Population Health.

The study has received £2.1 million from UK Research and Innovation and the Department of Health and Social Care. It is part of a wider £20 million rapid research response investment by the UK government.

It follows action by the UK’s medicines regulator to fast-track clinical trials for potential coronavirus treatments, meaning NHS patients could have faster access if medicines are proven to be effective.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has put in place procedures to support manufacturers and researchers developing these treatments and approve clinical trial applications in days, rather than weeks. Almost 1,000 have been recruited in just 15 days and thousands more are expected to join the trial in the coming weeks.

Health secretary Matt Hancock said: “The coronavirus outbreak is the biggest public health emergency in a generation and we are doing everything we can to fight it on all fronts through our evidence-based action plan. The UK is leading the way on research in the race to find treatments and we have now launched the largest trial in the world, pooling resources with our world-leading life science sector.”

He added: “As one of three major trials funded by the government, this marks a major milestone in our battle against coronavirus and offers renewed hope that together we can beat this.”

Chief medical officer, Chris Whitty commented: “The UK has world-leading life sciences and research sectors and, because of our joined-up healthcare and health research system, we have been able to get hundreds of patients involved in this clinical trial in just two weeks.”