Participant Information
Recruitment closure notice
The PANORAMIC trial is now closed to recruitment. Our phone lines and inbox will remain open.
Although the trial is now closed to recruitment, we will continue to support and collect follow-up data for our participants until September 2024. This page will continue to be accessible so that participants, study partners, research staff and the public can readily access this information.
About the Trial
The PANORAMIC trial is trying to find new antiviral treatments for COVID-19 that can be used in the community. We want to test how effective these new treatments are at helping people to recover soon and without the need to be admitted to hospital.
COVID-19 can cause great suffering and it stops people from performing their daily activities, affecting their work, education, and caring responsibilities. The risk of complications from COVID-19 is increased in people with underlying health conditions, older people, unvaccinated people and those in whom the vaccine is less effective. Especially in these people, COVID-19 can sometimes lead to significant medical problems, hospitalisation, and death.
Recently developed antiviral treatments have so far only been tested in smaller studies of mostly unvaccinated people. Furthermore, as most people with COVID-19 are treated at home it is imperative that we identify treatments that are suitable and effective for use early in the illness.
We recruited volunteers between 8th December 2021 and 28th March 2024 in a large and diverse population from all across the UK. The trial examined two antivirals, molnupiravir and Paxlovid.
The UK Medicines and Health Care Products Regulatory Agency [MHRA], which regulates the use of all medicines in the UK, has approved all of the treatments in the PANORAMIC trial.
What does the trial involve?
You can participate from the comfort of your own home from anywhere in the UK. No face-to-face visits are required. You will receive daily diaries to fill in online or over the phone with the study team. Our team will be available to support you throughout the study.
To get started:
1. Read more about the trial here or here.
2. Complete our registration form to check that you can take part. You will be asked to provide Informed Consent. Please note, the trial is now closed to recruitment
3. If eligible, you will be randomly put into one of the trial groups (standard care, or standard care with antiviral treatment) by our computer system.
4. Both groups will complete a questionnaire (daily diary) for 28 days. This is so that we can compare the symptoms and healthcare contacts between those who do and don't receive antiviral treatment.
5. The trial team will also contact you at 3 and 6 months after you started the trial to ask you about any long term symptoms.
Standard care group:
You will receive a trial information booklet via email or post, and will receive standard NHS services available as normal.
Antiviral Treatment group:
We will send you a trial pack containing the antiviral treatment, instructions on how to take it, and for how long, and a number to contact in case of emergencies.
If you are a participant capable of becoming pregnant, we will ask you to do a pregnancy test and confirm it is negative before starting the medication. We will provide the pregnancy test in the trial pack.
Our team will telephone you after you receive the trial pack to see how you are.
You will also receive standard NHS services available as normal.
Why should I sign up?
No one is obliged to join the study and no one will receive a lesser standard of care by choosing not to join. All participants will be able to access NHS services that they would normally expect to receive.
The results of the PANORAMIC trial will help to inform NHS plans for making antiviral treatments available to patients in the community who need them the most.
Will I be paid to take Part?
To thank you for participating in the trial, we will send you a £10 gift voucher either by post or email.
Who can join the study?
The PANORAMIC trial is now closed to recruitment.
The trial was open to anyone that met the following criteria:
Currently experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, beginning in the last 5 days;
AND had a positive PCR or Lateral Flow test for COVID-19;
AND aged 50 or over, or aged 18 or over with a LISTED pre-existing condition (see below).
- Chronic Respiratory disease (including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis and asthma requiring at least daily use of preventative and/or reliever medication)
- Chronic heart or vascular disease
- Chronic Kidney Disease
- Chronic Liver Disease
- Chronic neurological disease (including dementia, stroke, epilepsy)
- Severe and profound learning disability
- Down’s syndrome
- Diabetes mellitus (Type I or Type II)
- Immunosuppression: primary (e.g. Inherited immune disorders resulting from genetic mutations, usually present at birth and diagnosed in childhood) or Secondary due to disease or treatment (e.g. sickle cell, HIV, cancer, chemotherapy)
- Solid organ, bone marrow and stem cell transplant recipients
- Morbid obesity (BMI > 35)
- Severe mental illness
- Care home resident
- Considered to be clinically vulnerable by the doctor, nurse or prescribing pharmacist who conducts the recruitment
Further Information
If you would like to learn more about the study and join online, please download and read one of our participant information sheets below:
Contact Details
Email: panoramic@phc.ox.ac.uk
Freephone: 0808 156 0017 (this is also the safety line)
(Please note the number begins with 0808 not 0800)
Emails and telephone queries are monitored Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:00pm (but not on Bank Holidays)