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NCT Number: NCT07128082

The Long COVID Treatment Trial

The goal of this study is to determine whether a medicine called tirzepatide, also called Zepbound, can reduce symptoms of Long COVID. A randomized control trial will allow us to measure the effect of the treatment by having half of the participants take the medication and half take a placebo that has no medication. Participants will take the medication (or placebo) they are given and complete study surveys for 12 months. All of the study tasks are done remotely from the comfort of a participants home.

Active, Not Recruiting

This study is active but is not currently recruiting participants.

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Key information

Conditions

Long COVID COVID-19 Chronic Disease Coronaviridae Infections Coronavirus Infections Disease Attributes Infections Lung Diseases Nidovirales Infections Pathologic Processes Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms Pneumonia Pneumonia, Viral Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome Post-Infectious Disorders RNA Virus Infections Respiratory Tract Diseases Respiratory Tract Infections Virus Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 2

Primary location

Scripps Research

La Jolla, California, 92037, United States

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • 18 years of age or older Living in the United States Able to read and understand English or Spanish Willing and able to participate in study interventions and activities, including;
  • Access to an internet connected device
  • Informed Consent
  • Surveys
  • Medication schedule
  • Adverse Event reporting
  • Weight reporting
  • Use of wearable activity tracker
  • Completing at home blood collections, if selected Meets the NASEM definition of Long COVID: an infection-associated chronic condition that occurs after SARS-CoV-2 infection and is present for at least 3 months as a continuous, relapsing and remitting, or progressive disease state that affects one or more organ systems 16.

Ability to verify identity Ability to verify diagnosis Agree to notify the study team if you start any other Long COVID treatments while enrolled in the study.

Complete the Fatigue Severity Scale with a minimum score of 36

Exclusion criteria

  • Certain vulnerable populations (prisoners, children, fetuses, and institutionalized individuals)
  • Women who are pregnant, excluded due to unknown risks to a fetus
  • Personal or family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma
  • History of severe gastrointestinal disease
  • Diagnosis of gastroparesis
  • Worsening or chronic renal failure
  • History of pancreatitis
  • Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia syndrome type 2
  • Known serious hypersensitivity to tirzepatide
  • Already taking tirzepatide or another GLP-1 agonist
  • Medication contraindications to tirzepatide
  • History of suicidal attempts and/or active suicidal ideation
  • Underweight (BMI under 18.5)
  • Planning to undergo elective surgery or procedures requiring general anesthesia or deep sedation in the next 12 months
  • Symptoms of fatigue and/or brain fog that predated infection with COVID-19

Treatment and study plan

Tirzepatide

Drug

The treatment group will receive the study medication (tirzepatide) for a 12 month period starting with a 2.5mg dose once a week.

Placebo

Drug

Participants in the control group will receive a placebo instead of active study medication for a 12 month period.

Primary outcomes

  1. Primary Objective 1: Changes in fatigue severity score, measured by Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS)

    Time frame: 12 months

    The average difference in Fatigue Severity Scale (minimum score 9, maximum score 63, with higher scores indicating worse fatigue) between treatment and control groups of adults with Long COVID at month 3 or month 12 after study start

Secondary outcomes

  1. Secondary Outcome: Changes in overall health, measured by European Quality of Life 5 day, 5 level (EQ-5D-5L) scores

    Time frame: 12 months

    EQ-5D-5L is a quality of life survey with a minimum score of 5 and a maximum score of 25, with a higher score indicating worse quality of life.

  2. Secondary Outcome: Presence of and changes in post-exertional malaise, a condition that occurs in subsets of Long COVID and IACIs, measured by DePaul Symptom Questionnaire Post Exertional Malaise (DSQ-PEM)

    Time frame: 12 month

    DSQ-PEM evaluates the presence or absence of PEM and myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS)

  3. Secondary Outcome: Changes in functional capacity as measured by Functional Capacity (FUNCAP) survey

    Time frame: 12 months

    The 27-question version of FUNCAP has a minimum score of 0 and a maximum score of 162, with a lower score indicating lower functional capacity.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Scripps Translational Science Institute

Other

Collaborators

  • Schmidt Initiative for Long COVID

Registry information

Acronym: LOCITT

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2026
Study completion
2026
First posted
Aug 17, 2025
Registry last updated
Dec 23, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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