Summary
Treatment As Usual is tracked by OSMF as an investigational option for Long COVID; no regulator has approved it for this indication, and most post-viral conditions have no approved disease-modifying therapy at all. ClinicalTrials.gov lists 2 registered trials linking Treatment As Usual to Long COVID: 1 is currently recruiting; 1 has completed. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 90 participants. Registration activity spans 2023 to 2025. The literature layer holds 11 publications for this pair: 2 systematic reviews, 7 clinical trial publications and 2 other publications. Because at least one synthesis-level source exists (systematic review, meta-analysis or Cochrane review), this pair has been assessed beyond single studies, although the synthesis may concern a different indication.
Long COVID / PASC is tracked on the OSMF post-viral programme alongside ME/CFS, Long COVID, POTS and MCAS. Across the programme, 423 candidate agents are logged for Long COVID, most of them preliminary; this page isolates the record for one of them.
Evidence table
| Evidence tier | C · Preliminary |
|---|---|
| Evidence score | 32.5 (trials 5.5, literature 22.0, tier 5, approved bonus 0.0) |
| Registered trials | 2 total: 1 recruiting, 0 active / not yet recruiting, 1 completed, 0 other |
| Linked publications | 11 (7 clinical trial publications, 2 systematic reviews, 2 other publications) |
| Agent type | Other (Other / Unclassified) |
| Development stage (any indication) | Investigational |
| Mechanism / class | Not recorded |
| Data sources | OSMF therapeutic agent database, ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed |
How the evidence score is calculated
- Each registered trial scores by status (recruiting / active / enrolling 3, completed 2.5, not yet recruiting 2, unknown 1, terminated / withdrawn / suspended 0.5) plus a phase bonus (phase 3-4 +2, phase 2 +1, phase 1 +0.5). The trial component is capped at 30.
- Each literature item scores by design (Cochrane review 5, meta-analysis 4, systematic review 3, RCT 3, clinical trial publication 2, curated reference 1.5, other PubMed record 1). The literature component is capped at 30.
- The existing evidence tier adds 15 (A / Strong), 10 (B / Moderate), 5 (C / Preliminary) or 0 (D / Anecdotal).
- Agents approved for any indication (max clinical phase 4) add 5, because an approved agent has an established safety profile that lowers the barrier to repurposing trials.
- The score ranks what has been studied, not what works. It does not read effect sizes or directions of effect.
Registered clinical trials
| NCT ID | Title | Status | Phase | Enrolment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCT05793736 | Prevention of Long Covid Syndrome University of Cagliari · 2023 | completed | Not applicable | 17 |
| NCT06928480 | Effectiveness and Acceptability of the Unified Protocol for the Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders in People With Long COVID-1 Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria Aragón · 2025 | recruiting | Not applicable | 90 |
Published literature
- Clinical trial publication (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 41795402
- Clinical trial publication (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 41213124
- Clinical trial publication (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 40310209
- Clinical trial publication (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 40001244
- Clinical trial publication (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 39861434
- Clinical trial publication (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 39499692
- Clinical trial publication (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 37193738
- Review (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 34170086
- Case report (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 34844968
- Systematic review (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 38969238
- Systematic review (PubMed validation search) PubMed record PMID 38732592
Mechanism and notes
No mechanism of action is recorded for this pair in the source databases.
Clinical notes: Investigational for listed conditions. 3 associated trial(s) and 0 study reference(s) in current data. Review primary sources and consult specialists before use.
Safety: Limited specific safety data in these populations. Review full prescribing information and consult specialist. Many agents used off-label or investigational.
Dosing in studies: See linked studies/trials for reported doses and durations; typical protocols vary widely.
Frequently asked questions
Is Treatment As Usual approved for Long COVID?
Treatment As Usual is tracked by OSMF as an investigational option for Long COVID; no regulator has approved it for this indication, and most post-viral conditions have no approved disease-modifying therapy at all. Approval status for the specific indication should always be confirmed with the relevant regulator and prescribing information.
Is Treatment As Usual in clinical trials for Long COVID?
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 2 registered trials linking Treatment As Usual to Long COVID: 1 is currently recruiting; 1 has completed. None of the registered studies carries a drug-development phase label, which is typical for behavioural, device and supplement protocols. It plans or enrolled 90 participants. Registration activity spans 2023 to 2025.
What does the evidence show for Treatment As Usual in Long COVID?
Treatment As Usual has both completed registered trials and synthesis-level publications linked to Long COVID. That is the strongest profile in this database, but the summaries here do not extract effect sizes, so read the linked reviews for direction and magnitude of benefit. OSMF's existing evidence tier for this pair is C (Preliminary), taken from the OSMF therapeutic agent database, which grades agents by the volume and design of condition-specific evidence rather than by effect size.
Cite this page
Data: ClinicalTrials.gov, PubMed, Open Targets, ChEMBL, DGIdb and the OSMF therapeutic agent database. Last updated 2026-10-07. Page built 2026-10-07.