Updated May 2026 · ClinicalTrials.gov
Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy
Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (NCT04381936) is a Phase 3 interventional studying Pneumonia, sponsored by University of Oxford. RECRUITING as of the most recent ClinicalTrials.gov update. Talk to your doctor before contacting the trial site.
About This Trial
RECOVERY is a randomised trial of treatments to prevent death in patients hospitalised with pneumonia. The treatments being investigated are: COVID-19: Lopinavir-Ritonavir, Hydroxychloroquine, Corticosteroids, Azithromycin, Colchicine, IV Immunoglobulin (children only), Convalescent plasma, Casirivimab+Imdevimab, Tocilizumab, Aspirin, Baricitinib, Empagliflozin, Sotrovimab, Molnupiravir, Paxlovid or Anakinra (children only) Influenza: Baloxavir marboxil, Oseltamivir, Corticosteroids (dexamethasone) Community-acquired pneumonia: Corticosteroids (dexamethasone)
What Stage of Research Is This?
Phase 3 trials confirm efficacy and safety in large patient groups (often 300–3,000+) and form the evidence base for an FDA approval submission. For Pneumonia, Phase 3 studies typically randomize participants between the investigational treatment and either a placebo or current standard of care. A successful Phase 3 result is the threshold most treatments need to clear before regulatory approval.
This trial is currently recruiting participants. The sponsor has registered the study with ClinicalTrials.gov as actively enrolling, which means new applicants who meet the eligibility criteria can be considered for screening. Trial status can change between updates — confirm current recruiting status with the study contact before traveling for a screening visit.
Target enrollment of 70,000 participants makes this one of the larger Pneumonia trials currently registered. Trials at this scale are typically global, run across many sites, and designed to generate the definitive evidence package for an FDA approval submission or a label expansion.
Who May Be Eligible (Plain English)
These are translations of the protocol\'s inclusion and exclusion criteria, simplified for patients and caregivers. The original clinical text appears below. Eligibility is ultimately confirmed by the trial site\'s screening process — this summary is a starting point for a conversation with your doctor, not a final determination.
Original Eligibility Criteria
View original clinical language
Treatments Being Tested
Lopinavir-Ritonavir
Lopinavir 400mg-Ritonavir 100mg by mouth (or nasogastric tube) every 12 hours for 10 days.
Corticosteroid
Corticosteroid in the form of dexamethasone administered as an oral (liquid or tablets) or intravenous preparation 6 mg once daily for 10 days. In pregnancy or breastfeeding women, prednisolone 40 mg administered by mouth (or intravenous hydrocortisone 80 mg twice daily) should be used instead of dexamethasone. Corticosteroid (in children ≤44 weeks gestational age, or \>44 weeks gestational age with PIMS-TS only) in the form of Hydrocortisone or Methylprednisolone sodium succinate (see Protocol for timing and dosage)
Hydroxychloroquine
Hydroxychloroquine by mouth for a total of 10 days (see Protocol for timing and dosage).
Azithromycin
Azithromycin 500mg by mouth (or nasogastric tube) or intravenously once daily for 10 days.
Convalescent plasma
Single unit of ABO compatible convalescent plasma (275mls +/- 75 mls) intravenous per day on study days 1 (as soon as possible after randomisation) and 2 (with a minimum of 12 hour interval between 1st and 2nd units).
Tocilizumab
Tocilizumab by intravenous infusion with the dose determined by body weight (see Protocol for dosage)
Immunoglobulin
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) for children \>44 weeks gestational age and \<18 years with PIMS-TS only (see Protocol for dosage)
Synthetic neutralising antibodies
Patients ≥12 years only with COVID-19 pneumonia: A single dose of REGN10933 + REGN10987 8 g (4 g of each monoclonal antibody) in 250ml 0.9% saline infused intravenously over 60 minutes +/- 15 minutes as soon as possible after randomisation
Aspirin
150 mg by mouth (or nasogastric tube) or per rectum once daily until discharge, for adults ≥18 years old.
Colchicine
1 mg after randomisation followed by 500mcg 12 hours later and then 500 mcg twice daily by mouth or nasogastric tube for 10 days in total, for men ≥18 years old and women ≥55 years old only
Baricitinib
UK \[age ≥2 years with COVID pneumonia\] and India \[age ≥18 years with COVID-19 pneumonia\]: 4 mg once daily by mouth or nasogastric tube for 10 days in total.
Anakinra
For children ≥1 \<18 years old only: subcutaneously or intravenously once daily for 7 days or discharge (if sooner). NB Anakinra will be excluded from the randomisation of children \<10 kg in weight.
Dimethyl fumarate
Early phase assessment. UK adults ≥18 years old only (excluding those on ECMO). 120 mg every 12 hours for 4 doses followed by 240 mg every 12 hours by mouth for 8 days (10 days in total).
High Dose Corticosteroid
Adults ≥18 years old with hypoxia only. Dexamethasone 20 mg (base) once daily by mouth, nasogastric tube or intravenous infusion for 5 days follow by dexamethasone 10 mg (base) once daily by mouth, nasogastric tube or intravenous infusion for 5 days.
Empagliflozin
Adults ≥18 years old only. 10 mg once daily by mouth for 28 days (or until discharge, if earlier).
Sotrovimab
UK patients ≥12 years old. 1000 mg in 100 mL 0.9% sodium chloride or 5% dextrose by intravenous infusion over 1 hour as soon as possible after randomisation.
Molnupiravir
Patients ≥18 years old. 800 mg twice daily for 5 days by mouth.
Paxlovid
UK patients ≥18 years old. 300/100 mg twice daily for 5 days by mouth.
Baloxavir Marboxil
Patients ≥12 years old in the UK (or ≥18 years old in other countries), with or without SARS-CoV-2 co-infection. 40mg (or 80mg if weight ≥80kg) once daily by mouth or nasogastic tube to be given on day 1 and day 4.
Oseltamivir
Any age in the UK (or ≥18 years old in other countries), with or without SARS-CoV-2 co-infection. 75mg twice daily by mouth or nasogastric tube for five days. (See Protocol for detailed dosage information)
Corticosteroids (dexamethasone)
Any age in the UK (or ≥18 years old in other countries), without suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, and with clinical evidence of hypoxia (i.e. receiving oxygen or with oxygen saturations \<92% on room air) 6mg once daily given orally or intravenously for ten days or until discharge (whichever happens earliest)
Corticosteroids (dexamethasone)
Patients ≥18 years old with a diagnosis of community-acquired pneumonia (with planned antibiotic use and without suspected or confirmed SARS-CoV-2, influenza, active pulmonary tuberculosis, or Pneumocystis jirovecii infection) 6mg once daily given orally or intravenously for ten days or until discharge (whichever happens earliest)
Locations (16)
Trial sites listed on ClinicalTrials.gov for this study. Site activation status can vary — confirm with the specific site before traveling for a screening visit.
How to Talk to Your Doctor About This Trial
Bring the printable summary of this trial — including the NCT ID (NCT04381936), the sponsor (University of Oxford), and the key eligibility criteria — to your next appointment. Your doctor can review the inclusion and exclusion criteria against your medical history, lab values, and current treatments to assess whether you are likely to qualify. They can also help you weigh whether trial participation makes sense alongside your existing care plan.
Useful questions to walk through together: What does the trial protocol require beyond standard care? How long is the active treatment phase, and how long is follow-up? Are there study visits at sites I can reach? Who pays for the trial-specific procedures, and who pays for standard-of-care portions? See our 25 questions to ask about clinical trials guide for a more complete checklist.
Authoritative Sources
The official record for this trial lives on ClinicalTrials.gov — the federal registry maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. For background on how this trial fits into the FDA approval pathway, see the FDA drug approval process. For oncology-specific guidance for patients considering trials, the National Cancer Institute publishes patient-oriented overviews. International trial registries are aggregated by the WHO ICTRP.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NCT04381936 clinical trial studying?
RECOVERY is a randomised trial of treatments to prevent death in patients hospitalised with pneumonia. The treatments being investigated are: COVID-19: Lopinavir-Ritonavir, Hydroxychloroquine, Corticosteroids, Azithromycin, Colchicine, IV Immunoglobulin (children only), Convalescent plasma, Casirivimab+Imdevimab, Tocilizumab, Aspirin, Baricitinib, Empagliflozin, Sotrovimab, Molnupiravir, Paxlovid or Anakinra (children only) Influenza: Baloxavir marboxil, Oseltamivir, Corticosteroids (dexamethasone) Community-acquired pneumonia: Corticosteroids (dexamethasone) The full protocol is registered on ClinicalTrials.gov and includes the primary outcome measures, eligibility criteria, and study endpoints.
Who can participate in NCT04381936?
Eligibility for this trial depends on the specific inclusion and exclusion criteria set by the sponsor. The plain-English summary above translates the most important criteria into accessible language; the official clinical text is preserved in the collapsible section underneath. Whether you fit any specific trial is a medical decision your doctor needs to confirm — bring the trial information to your treating physician for a full review against your medical history.
How do I contact the trial site for NCT04381936?
Contact information registered with ClinicalTrials.gov is shown in the sidebar of this page. Before reaching out, confirm with your treating physician that this trial is appropriate for your situation. The trial site will then walk you through the screening process to determine final eligibility.
Is participating in a clinical trial safe?
Clinical trials in the United States are regulated by the FDA and overseen by Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) that review the protocol for safety. Risk varies by trial — Phase 1 studies test new treatments in humans for the first time, while Phase 3 trials use treatments that have already passed earlier safety screening. The informed consent document for any specific trial details the known risks and what to expect. Discuss those risks with your physician before deciding whether to participate.
Where can I verify the data on this page?
Every detail on this page comes directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API. Click "View on ClinicalTrials.gov" in the sidebar to see the official, unmodified record. The federal record is always authoritative; this page is a structured presentation with a plain-English eligibility translation. For background on how clinical trials are regulated, see the FDA drug approval process documentation.
How This Page Is Built
Every field on this page is pulled directly from the ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 — no estimates, no proxies. The plain-English eligibility translation is generated from the original protocol text and reviewed for fidelity to the underlying clinical criteria. The original clinical text remains visible in the collapsible section above so users and clinicians can verify the translation. Read the full methodology for the data pipeline and known limitations.
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov API v2 record for NCT04381936. Maintained by the National Library of Medicine at NIH. Public domain. Cite as: "TrialFinderData. NCT04381936. Data: ClinicalTrials.gov."
Medical disclaimer: This page is informational, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor about whether a clinical trial is right for you.
Last updated 2026-05-08 · Data from ClinicalTrials.gov.