A plea has been made to qualifying Honiton residents to be part of a clinical trial which seeks to find the most effective treatment for coronavirus.

Honiton Surgery has launched a recruitment drive for volunteers to be part of the PRINCIPLE drug trial, being run by Oxford University.

Residents who are over the age of 50 and qualify for a flu jab and have had either a persistent cough or a fever in the last two weeks are being asked to come forward.

The surgery also wants to hear from residents over the age of 65 who are presenting with Covid-19 symptoms.

Dr Danny Murphy, of Honiton Surgery, said: “All our patients in Honiton who qualify will be getting a text message, but we don’t have phone numbers for everyone.

“This is really important – until people volunteer to help research studies it is difficult to know how we can treat this virus more effectively.”

Registration for the trial is done online and once registered, Dr Murphy will be notified that a patient in Honiton has volunteered.

Patients will be split into two groups, with one being be treated with hydroxychloroquine, while the other group will have their symptoms managed in the same way they are now.

The responses to both treatments will give scientists in Oxford an idea of how effective the drug is.

Dr Murphy added: “The more people who volunteer to take part, the more information we can gather for the team in Oxford to assess how well the drugs work.”

Several GP practices across East Devon are taking part in the trail, including all those in the Woodbury, Exmouth and Budleigh Salterton primary care network.

Dr Lisa Gibbons, a GP at Claremont Medical Practice in Exmouth, is the primary care lead for the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network in the South West.

She added: ““Not only are these individuals able to receive testing and treatment, but they are also contributing to the discovery of new treatments for Covid-19.

“We are extremely proud to be a part of the national study.”

To be part of the study, go to the PRINCIPLE website.

Alternatively ring 0800 138 0880.