GP practices take part in norovirus vaccine trial

Two West Oxfordshire GP practices will take part in the clinical trial into a vaccine for the norovirus stomach bug.

Researchers at Windrush Medical Practice in Witney and Eynsham Medical Group are recruiting participants to help examine if the vaccine could protect adults against the seasonal infection.

Its symptoms include vomiting and diarrhoea.

The trial will last for up to 25 months before the vaccine could be made available for public use.

The Nova 301 Trial is looking to recruit about 25,000 people globally to investigate the effectiveness of the mRNA vaccine.

It has been developed by Moderna and like the company's Covid jab, it delivers instructions to the immune systems on how to recognise an invasive virus and protect against it by producing antibodies.

It is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the research arm of the NHS.

NIHR called norovirus "one of the most common causes of stomach bugs in the UK".

It added that it was "quite unusual" for a vaccine trial to take place in a GP practice.

Dr Nick Thomas who leads the study at Windrush Medical Practice called it "a fantastic opportunity for us in West Oxfordshire and Oxfordshire as a whole".

"We are so proud and pleased to be taking part in and supporting this," he said, adding that it was open to people all across the region to participate.

Participants will be given either the vaccine or a placebo jab and must be willing to attend up to seven scheduled clinic visits during the trial.

They are required to be "18 years of age or over, be in good health and should not currently have a chronic gastrointestinal disease", including any medical condition with regular vomiting or diarrhoea.

NIHR said researchers would "also make sure that participants understand the important details about the trial before agreeing to take part".

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