COVID-19
World Long Covid Day: three research projects paving the way towards new treatments
17/03/2026
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Long Covid affects between 5% and 15% of people who have had a SARS‑CoV‑2 infection. It is estimated that in Spain there are nearly 2 million people living with this syndrome, and more than 200,000 in Catalonia. However, only 15,000 people are formally diagnosed in Catalonia. This indicates that the condition is underdiagnosed, likely due to the nonspecific nature of its symptoms —which can be mistaken for those of other health problems— as well as the absence of a diagnostic test capable of confirming the presence of the disease.
For this reason, on the occasion of World Long Covid Day, 15 March, the Fundació Lluita contra les Infeccions wishes to highlight three key projects that are advancing the understanding and treatment of this condition: Thalassa, SuperCAP and COCOS. Together, they position us as a leading centre in clinical research into this illness and in supporting people affected by it.
Thalassa: a pioneering clinical trial with plitidepsin
Thalassa is a phase II clinical trial led by the Foundation and the biopharmaceutical company PharmaMar to evaluate the safety and efficacy of plitidepsin, a marine‑derived active compound that induces apoptosis in affected cells, as a treatment for long Covid. The trial includes 90 participants, distributed between the active treatment and placebo arms, and has already surpassed half of its planned recruitment. To take part, people from across Spain travel weekly to the Foundation, located at the Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol in Badalona. This effort reflects both the lack of therapeutic alternatives and the strong clinical interest generated by the project.
SuperCAP: digital technology to improve quality of life
The SuperCAP project aims to improve the quality of life of people affected by long Covid, focusing particularly on two of the most frequent symptoms: fatigue and cognitive difficulties.
The project centres on evaluating the effectiveness of a personalised digital tool integrated into the eSalut platform, which combines:
- Symptom self‑management strategies
- Psychoeducation
- Adapted cognitive exercises
SuperCAP is led by the Foundation’s long Covid research line, in collaboration with the Research Group on Innovation, Health Economics and Digital Transformation (INEDIT) at the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute, and the Long Covid Patients’ Association of Garraf. In addition, it has been selected in the 2025 funding call of Barcelona City Council and the “la Caixa” Foundation, which are supporting its development.
COCOS: a potential therapeutic approach for cognitive impairment
The third major project is the international COCOS clinical trial, led by the German laboratory Schwabe. The study evaluates the effectiveness of the EGB 761 extract (Ginkgo Biloba) in treating cognitive impairment associated with long Covid.
Ten research centres across Europe are participating, including the Foundation, which has not only reached its initial recruitment target of 15 participants but has increased this number to 50 people included in the study.
A collective commitment to research and hope
Dr Lourdes Mateu, head of the Emerging Respiratory Infections line and lead of the long Covid programme at the Infectious Diseases Service of Hospital Germans Trias, reminds us that “research is essential to provide answers for the thousands of people living with this condition. After more than five years of uncertainty, the ongoing studies bring hope, innovative methodologies and, above all, real therapeutic possibilities.”
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