Bondholders urged to help with Covid national clinical trial

The entrepreneur behind the Oberoi Business Hub is appealing to fellow Marketing Derby Bondholders to play their part in helping to find new early treatments for Covid-19.

Kavita Oberoi OBE, who is also the founder and managing director of healthcare solutions firm Oberoi Consulting, has been approached by Professor Mahendra Patel, one of the national leads for the Panoramic Trial at Oxford University.

She has been asked to help in raising the profile of the clinical trial – the world’s first to be using new and licensed antiviral agents – and in recruiting volunteers needed in the search for the early treatment of Covid-19.

Panoramic (Platform adaptive trial of novel antivirals for early treatment of Covid-19 in the community) is a UK-wide clinical study sponsored by the University of Oxford and funded by the National Institute for Health Research.

It aims to find out in which people new antiviral treatments for Covid-19 reduce the need for hospital admission and recover sooner. 

The research team need 10,600 volunteers who are aged 50 and over or aged 18 and over with underlying health conditions who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the past five days and are experiencing symptoms. 

Involvement in the study will include either receiving standard NHS care or a short course of a new licensed antiviral treatment to be taken by mouth.

All information, including any treatment, is couriered directly to the patient’s home along with a symptom diary to record symptoms.  

Kavita is now asking the Bondholder community for their support.

She said: “Derby is renowned as the city of innovation and many local businesses, particularly Bondholders, have been actively involved in the response to Covid-19. 

“As a city and county, we are also fortunate to have a wide range of major employers, as well as a strong SME community with solid networks.

 “Having been approached by the research team, I thought the extensive Marketing Derby network which, collectively, employs more than 42,000 people, could be an ideal communication vehicle to get behind this important work.

“I would appeal to every Bondholder to share information with their colleagues, employees and contacts about the clinical trial and to encourage anyone eligible to volunteer.” 

For further information visit  www.panoramictrial.org or call 08081 560017.

Business leaders wanting information to share with their workforce should e-mail admin@oberoi-consulting.com.