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Staff contribute towards success of national Covid-19 vaccine booster study
Research nurses and doctors from NUH contributed to the success of a national research trial investigating how to help vulnerable people who take immune suppressing medicines improve their antibody response to the Covid-19 jab.
The VROOM trial, funded by the NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) and Medical Research Council (MRC) found that by interrupting the treatment of these people – who were among the millions who were advised to “shield” during the pandemic – for two weeks after a Covid-19 booster vaccine, they can double their antibody response.
The findings of the trial, led by Professor Abhishek, Professor of Rheumatology at the University of Nottingham and Honorary Consultant Rheumatologist at the QMC, and delivered in partnership with Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU), Oxford University, and 26 hospital trusts including Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, were published in the journal Lancet Respiratory Medicine in June.
At one stage, the research delivery teams from NUH had recruited more than 20% of all participants enrolled into the trial nationally.
Principal investigators Dr Ira Pande, a Consultant Rheumatologist at NUH, and Consultant Dermatologist Dr Tang led the delivery of the study at the QMC, backed by research nurses and administrators from NUH, and researchers at the University of Nottingham.
Chief Investigator, Professor Abhishek Abhishek, said: “We are extremely pleased with the initial results of the VROOM trial. There was a doubling of the antibody response in patients who held off on taking methotrexate for two weeks. The improvement in antibody response was maintained over a three-month period. There was a short-term increase in risk of flare-up of inflammatory conditions. However, most could be self-managed.
“We also saw no adverse impact on the quality of patient’s life following the suspension of their medication. However, the study did not evaluate whether this strategy would result in fewer cases of Covid-19 or fewer hospitalisations due to Covid-19 as it was not large enough to detect these differences.”
Professor Abhishek added: “Implementing these results could vastly improve the protection provided by boosters against Covid-19 for millions of people living with these conditions. Covid-19 has left them vulnerable to serious illness, whilst still having to live with the painful and troubling effects of their conditions. We hope this evidence is the next step in helping them with their lives going forward.”
More information on the findings of the VROOM trial is available on the NIHR website.