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Help find treatments for COVID-19

PRINCIPLE is a nationwide clinical study from the University of Oxford to find COVID-19 treatments for the over 50s that can be taken at home.


We are looking for medicines that can help people with COVID-19 symptoms get better quickly and stop them needing to go to hospital.

PRINCIPLE is recruiting participants through this website and also through GP practices across the UK.


We are currently evaluating:

  • Usual care alone  or
  • Usual care plus azithromycin (a commonly used antibiotic) or
  • Usual care plus doxycycline (a commonly used antibiotic) or
  • Usual care plus inhaled budesonide (a commonly used inhaled corticosteroid)

Who is eligible:

Anyone experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, which started within the last 14 days may be eligible to join the PRINCIPLE trial if they are aged over 65; or over 50 with an underlying health condition.

2224  participants recruited

Find out where we are recruiting across the UK

How to join PRINCIPLE

The PRINCIPLE Trial is entirely remote. You can participate from the comfort of your own home from anywhere in the UK with no face-to-face visits required. The trial team and your own GP will be available for you to contact throughout.

If you have Covid-19 symptoms:
Join from home

There are several steps to joining from home. The first is answering a few screening questions online to assess your eligibility. Alternatively, you can join by contacting the trial team over the phone.

Join the study

Healthcare professionals:
Sign-up a patient

If you are a healthcare professional with an eligible patient with coronavirus symptoms or a positive test, you can talk them through the trial information and screening questionnaire.

Enrol a patient

Or, contact us directly: Tel: 0800 138 0880; Email: principle@phc.ox.ac.uk

Trial news

Please share the PRINCIPLE Trial, more volunteers are needed:

PRINCIPLE is funded by UK Research and Innovation and the Department of Health and Social Care through the National Institute for Health Research.

EudraCT number: 2020-001209-22 • ISRCTN registry: ISRCTN86534580 • REC number: 20/SC/058 • IRAS number: 281958