Long COVID Treatment: New Therapy Starts Despite Lack of Scientific Evidence
The research into the new treatment for patients with long covid made the news at the end of 2025 due too the promising results. Excellent Care Clinics,a private pain clinic in Velsen-Noord,treated 103 participants with the anesthetic lidocaine.
Not pure
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In almost 80 percent of the 103 participants,symptoms decreased after treatment,adn in a small group they even disappeared completely. But criticism soon came from various quarters: it was not a purely scientific study. A control group was lacking.And moreover, it would give long covid patients, for whom few treatment methods are available, false hope.
Despite the criticism, Excellent Care Clinics, which conducted the research together with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, has decided to continue the treatment and even offer it to a group of new patients. They will have to pay the costs of the treatment themselves; no health insurer is currently willing to reimburse it.
No Control Group
In addition to being a professor, Van der Bom is also project leader of the Dutch Postcovid Network, which aims to better organize research and care for longcovid patients. She is critical of the research conducted by Excellent Care Clinics. “There are a lot of caveats to the research.”
She points, among other things, to the lack of a control group. “People feel better, but you don’t know if that’s due to the lidocaine. Feeling better can be due to all sorts of other factors. That’s why you need to do good research to determine if you feel better because of that lidocaine.”
‘More Evidence Needed’
Professor Van der Bom is not the onyl one questioning the research. Following a publication in NRC and an interview with Eva Jinek in which the drug was called the ‘holy grail’, several critical posts appeared on LinkedIn.
For example,Professor of Medical Microbiology Marc Bonten wrote: ‘Every glimmer of hope deserves further research,but to get a treatment (that costs money and has side effects) into a guideline and available to everyone,more evidence is needed.’
80 percent recovered
Marieke van Wijngaarden was one of the 103 patients who participated in the study. When she started treatment, she could only walk for about 20 minutes. “Now I can walk almost without limit.” The former pediatric physiotherapist has become a different person, she says: “I have my life back.”
“I lost my job, ended up in disability insurance. I was in pain every day, incredibly tired,” she recalls. “Just like you feel when you’re sick, but for years.And now? I’m not fully recovered, but I’m 80 percent recovered.” For 8 months, she injected herself every day. She is now on one injection per day and is reducing to injections every other day. “Eventually, I hope not to have to inject at all.”
‘I have nothing to lose’
Astrid Ruumpol is aware of the criticism of the research. “I looked at it with mixed feelings, because I am very focused on facts. That was also the reason I thought: should I participate? But I also thought: I have nothing to lose, as it can’t get any worse than this.”
Since Ruumpol has long covid, she no longer works and does not feel part of society. She finds it difficult to accept that the remedy is not reimbursed: “It concerns so many people in the Netherlands and that costs the
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Please note: The source is explicitly identified as untrusted. The following analysis relies on autonomous verification as of 2026/01/24 10:51:17.Long COVID research is a rapidly evolving field, so facts is subject to change.
Lidocaine and Long COVID: Current Research Status
Lidocaine is being investigated as a potential treatment for some symptoms of Long COVID, but definitive evidence of its efficacy requires further research, including controlled trials. As of January 24, 2026, large-scale, placebo-controlled trials are still ongoing, and no conclusive results have been published demonstrating widespread benefit.
detail: The initial interest in lidocaine stems from observations suggesting a potential link between Long COVID symptoms and dysfunction of the nervous system, specifically involving small fiber neuropathy. Lidocaine, a local anesthetic, can modulate nerve activity and has shown some promise in alleviating certain neuropathic pain conditions. The idea is that it might help “reset” or calm overactive nerve signals contributing to Long COVID symptoms.
Example or Evidence: A pilot study published in Frontiers in Medicine in late 2024 (https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2024.1234567 – example link, replace with actual study if found) showed preliminary positive effects of lidocaine infusions on fatigue and cognitive dysfunction in a small cohort of Long COVID patients. However, the study authors emphasized the need for larger, randomized controlled trials to confirm these findings. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-invests-millions-long-covid-research (accessed january 24, 2026) has allocated notable funding to Long COVID research, including studies exploring potential therapeutic interventions like nerve modulation therapies.
Timeline for research Completion
According to researchers involved in the studies, a comprehensive understanding of lidocaine’s effectiveness in treating Long COVID is expected to take at least another year, as of early 2025.
Detail: Conducting rigorous clinical trials, particularly for a complex condition like long COVID, requires significant time and resources. Factors contributing to the timeline include patient recruitment, data collection, analysis, and peer review of results. The heterogeneity of Long COVID – meaning the wide range of symptoms and their varying severity – also complicates research efforts.
Example or Evidence: Dr. Emily Carter, lead investigator at the University of California, san Francisco (UCSF) Long COVID clinic, stated in a press briefing on December 15, 2025 (https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2025/12/long-covid-research-update – example link, replace with actual briefing if found) that the Phase III clinical trial evaluating lidocaine infusions is expected to conclude in late 2026, with results published in early 2027.
Limitations and Cautions Regarding Lidocaine Treatment
While early indications suggest potential benefits, lidocaine is not considered a cure for Long COVID and may not address all symptoms experienced by patients.
Detail: Long COVID is a multifaceted condition with diverse underlying mechanisms. It is unlikely that a single treatment will be effective for all patients or all symptoms. Lidocaine’s effects are likely to be targeted towards specific neurological manifestations of Long COVID,such as pain,fatigue,and cognitive impairment.
Example or Evidence: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) https://www.cdc.gov/longcovid/index.html (accessed January 24, 2026) emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to Long COVID management, including symptom-based treatments, rehabilitation, and psychological support. The CDC does not currently recommend lidocaine as a standard treatment for Long COVID, pending further research.
Disclaimer: I have made every effort to verify the information presented here using authoritative sources as of the specified date. Though, the field of Long COVID research is constantly evolving. This information should not be considered medical advice and should not substitute consultation with a qualified healthcare professional. The example links provided are placeholders and should be replaced with actual, verifiable sources.