European Research and Preparedness Network for Pandemics and Emerging Infectious Diseases

The overall objective of this 5-year project is to build a multinational, adaptive European COVID-19 and emerging infectious diseases trial network, based on existing initiatives, experience and expertise, allowing European expansion of DisCoVeRy (WP1) and the establishment of a COVID19 adaptive platform trial (WP2). The DisCoVeRy trial, designed as a multi-arm adaptive repurposing trial, initiated in France, has the potential to expand to many other European countries with appropriate support in terms of multinational funding and trial management capacity. This will complete the evaluation of repurposed drugs, while building a European clinical trial network which, together with other European networks such as the Solidarity trial, will design and run a new European platform trial. EU-RESPONSE will swiftly generate robust evidence for drug repurposing or registration, through a modular trial framework allowing most European hospitals to participate at their preferred level of commitment, thus building a network of investigation sites within European and associated countries. Cooperation with other European platforms, in particular the RECOVER consortium platform will be achieved through a joint coordination mechanism aligned with European and national policies (WP3), ensuring a coordinated strategy for the European COVID-19 Adaptive Platform Trials, their complementarity in providing access for requests for a new domain or arm, their synergy and cross-fertilization through the development of a common toolbox for the development and the management of Adaptive Platform Trials. Joining forces in Europe and with international partners, it will contribute to the global clinical trial capacity for urgently meeting the expectations of society and developers. It will also boost multinational cooperation in Europe and promote the establishment of adaptive platform trials in other diseases, and will have a major impact on epidemic control.