MaineHealth joins ‘long COVID’ clinical trials
MaineHealth is participating in two new clinical trials sponsored by the National Institutes of Health to investigate potential treatments for ‘long-term’ COVID-19 symptoms. The primary focus will be patients’ reactions to exercise and other physical or mental exertion, known as post-exertional malaise.
The mid-stage trials are part of the NIH’s "Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery" initiative, which is enrolling participants nationwide to test treatments that address viral persistence and neurological symptoms including ‘brain fog’ and autonomic nervous system dysfunction.
The MaineHealth Institute for Research will be working with patients through July 2025 at its Scarborough facility, which is one of 50 chosen study sites nationwide.
One of the two trials tests a program to help people who experience symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue during exercise after having had COVID-19. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either personalized cardiopulmonary rehabilitation or basic exercise education for three months.
“This NIH-sponsored intervention trial is a unique opportunity for individuals with long COVID to participate in a program that may improve their exercise capacity,” said Dr. Clifford Rosen, principal investigator of the interventional studies at MaineHealth. “We hope that these studies will lead to treatments that can significantly improve these patients’ quality of life.”
The other trial tests a program known as structured pacing, designed to help participants who experience post-exertional malaise to identify, control and minimize symptoms by regulating daily activities. Structured pacing is currently the only intervention used to treat PEM. This trial will not include any exercise training but instead will assign participants either to work with a trained pacing coach or to receive PEM education for three months.
MaineHealth Institute for Research participated in an earlier NIH studies regarding long-COVID causes and symptoms.
To learn more about how to join one of the current studies at MaineHealth, contact Kathryn Stevens at ENERGIZE@mainehealth.org.
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