On the 2nd September, 2026, Nature published a new article by Simon Makin which provides a fairly comprehensive and up to date review of drug treatments that are being assessed for treating Long Covid and ME/CFS.
AI Summary
- Long COVID is part of a much broader problem: many infections can trigger long-lasting illnesses, affecting potentially hundreds of millions of people worldwide.
- Researchers increasingly think these conditions may involve persistent changes after the original infection, rather than simply the infection being “over and done with”.
- Several possible mechanisms are being investigated, including viral persistence/reactivation, immune-system dysfunction and inflammation, and changes to other body systems.
- A major goal is to identify why some people recover normally while others develop chronic symptoms, which could allow earlier diagnosis and targeted treatment.
- There is growing optimism that specific treatments may be possible, rather than having to manage long-term symptoms without knowing their underlying cause—but the science is still developing.
- The article argues that scientists are moving from “long COVID is mysterious” towards identifying specific biological mechanisms and potential treatments, with lessons that could apply to many post-infectious diseases.
MEA Comment
This is a fairly comprehensive and up to date review of drug treatments that are being assessed for treating Long Covid and ME/CFS.
As we regularly report, a huge amount of research funding is being spent on clinical trials that are aimed at finding safe and effective forms of treatment that are directed at the underlying disease process in ME/CFS and Long Covid instead of just providing symptom relief.
As this review points out there are clearly some interesting leads to pursue.
However, there haven't been any breakthroughs so far and none of these clinical trials that have concluded have provided a clear positive result.
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS committee,
Member of the 2002 Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on ME/CFS
