Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40735347›Full record

ArticleEClinicalMedicine2025

Safety, tolerability and clinical effects of rovunaptabin, also known as BC007 on fatigue and quality of life in patients with Post-COVID syndrome (reCOVer): a prospective, exploratory, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised phase IIa clinical trial (RCT).

Bettina Hohberger, Marion Ganslmayer, Thomas Harrer, Friedrich Kruse, Stefanie Maas, Tobias Borst, Ralph Heimke-Brinck, Andreas Stog, Thomas Knauer, Eva Rühl and 13 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EClinicalMedicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

23 authors.

Bettina HohbergerDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Marion GanslmayerDepartment of Medicine 1, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Thomas HarrerDeutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Germany.
Friedrich KruseDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Stefanie MaasCentre for Clinical Studies (CCS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Tobias BorstPharmacy of the University Hospital Erlangen, Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Ralph Heimke-BrinckPharmacy of the University Hospital Erlangen, Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Andreas StogDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Thomas KnauerDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Eva RühlDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Victoria ZeisbergDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Adam SkorniaDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Alexander BartschDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Armin StröbelCentre for Clinical Studies (CCS), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Monika WytopilDepartment of Medicine 3 - Rheumatology and Immunology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Caroline MerkelDepartment of Medicine 2, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Sophia HofmannDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Katja G SchmidtDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Petra LakatosDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Julia SchottenhammlDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Martin HerrmannDeutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Germany.
Christian MardinDepartment of Ophthalmology, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Erlangen, Germany.
Jürgen RechDeutsches Zentrum für Immuntherapie (DZI), Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg and Uniklinikum Erlangen, Germany.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Rovunaptabin neutralises functional autoantibodies targeting G-Protein coupled receptors (GPCR-fAAbs), observed in patients with Post-COVID syndrome. As we hypothesise an improvement of PCS by rovunaptabin, the aim of reCOVer was to investigate safety, tolerability, and clinical effects of rovunaptabin in PCS patients. Methods: reCOVer is a prospective, exploratory, placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomised phase IIa clinical investigator initiated trial with 1350 mg rovunaptabin with additional cross-over at the Universitätsklinikum Erlangen, Germany. The trial was registered in EudraCT, 2022-001781-35. Screening was done between 21·11·2023 and 25·06·2024. Eligible participants (18-80 years) showed GPCR-fAAbs, at least 3/8 defined PCS symptoms persisting ≥3 months after COVID-19 and fatigue as major symptom. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to either receive rovunaptabin or placebo at day 0 (d0) and d48 with a follow-up of 28 days, respectively. Primary endpoint was the number of treatment emergent adverse events (TEAE) at d28 (co-primary endpoint: TEAE at d70); secondary endpoint focused on fatigue and quality of life. Findings: Thirty PCS patients were randomised and analysed. RCT analysis showed nine (rovunaptabin) and five TEAEs (placebo), yet without statistically significance (p = 0·1299; CI -14·80%; 63·02%); one serious adverse event, not related to treatment, was recorded. Rovunaptabin showed a neutralisation of GPCR-fAAb and a significant improvement of FACIT Fatigue Scale (effect size = 2·10, p = 0·0378), Bell score (effect size = 3·64, p = 0·0004), Fatigue Severity Scale (effect size = -2·66, p = 0·0088), and quality of life (4/8 items). Interpretation: As this proof-of-concept study showed effects on the patient-centred endpoint PCS and a good safety profil, subsequent studies are needed to confirm these results in a larger cohort. Funding: German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, German Research Foundation.

Indexed as

FatigueFunctional autoantibodyGPCRGPCR-fAAbLong-COVIDPCS subtypesPost-COVID syndromeQuality of lifeRovunaptabin

Identifiers

PMID40735347
PMCPMC12304723

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.