ASCOT and REMAP-CAP awarded nearly $4 million to combine platforms to test new therapeutics to treat COVID-19

ASCOT and REMAP-CAP have been awarded $3,997,914 by the Australian Government through the Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) in a joint proposal to combine platforms. Based at the Monash School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine at Monash University and led by Professor Steve Webb, the Randomised, Embedded, Multi-factorial, Adaptive Platform Trial for Community-Acquired Pneumonia (REMAP-CAP) is a well-established adaptive platform trial enrolling critically ill patients with COVID-19 across 25 countries.

“This is an exciting development that means ASCOT will generate results that contribute to global datasets in real-time,” Professor Tong said. “REMAP-CAP is a highly successful platform with global reach. Within this joint framework, ASCOT will provide leadership on addressing priority therapeutic questions for non-critically ill patients.”

The proposal includes four treatment strategies: antiviral agents in early disease, different doses of the steroid dexamethasone, comparison of immune modulators for severe disease, and convalescent plasma versus no convalescent plasma for immunocompromised patients.

By combining ASCOT and REMAP-CAP, the established infrastructure of both trials will join as a Federated Trial to target both moderate and critically ill patients and continue to collect evidence on effective treatments for COVID-19.