Patient advocacy groups are expressing frustration over the federal government's lack of progress in identifying long COVID treatments, NPR reported Nov. 25.
Although the government has allocated $1.15 billion for long COVID research, no new treatments have emerged for the estimated 17 million adults living with the condition, according to CDC figures.
"It's unconscionable that more than four years since this began, we still don't have one FDA- approved drug," Meighan Stone, executive director of Long COVID Campaign, a patient advocacy group, told NPR.
The National Institutes of Health's long COVID research initiative has largely focused on observational and pathobiology studies to understand how the condition's effects, rather than clinical trials for potential treatments. Ziyad Al-Aly, MD, chief of research and development at the VA St. Louis Healthcare System, said that the lack of clinical trials forces physicians to rely on assumptions, not evidence, when making treatment decisions.
While some patients and researchers are urging the NIH to focus more on specific treatment trials, others involved in the initiative argue that good science takes time, particularly for a condition as complex as long COVID. These experts contend that insights from observational studies are necessary to guide the selection of clinical trials for long COVID treatments.
The NIH plans to invest another $515 million in long COVID research, with a focus on clinical trials. In October, the agency issued a request for clinical trial research proposals, with submissions due by Feb. 1. The NIH did not respond to NPR's written questions about its next phase of research or make any representatives available for an interview.