Christopher Butler

I supervise DPhil and post-doctoral students.

I have expertise in clinical trials, cohort studies, qualitative research and analysis of routinely collected data. I promote research that is clinically inspired, aims to improve the quality of primary care, improve the quality of people’s lives, and reduces health inequalities. I led, or helped lead, more than 30 randomised clinical trials, largely in the fields of common infections and health behaviour change. I have published ~500 journal articles including trials in the world’s leading general medical journals, and helped with ~£200M in research funding.

I am the Chief Investigator of the National PRINCIPLE and PANORAMIC trials of early treatment of COVID-19 in the community; the 11-country PRUDENCE trail of point of care testing to guide treatment for acute reparatory tract infections, and co-lead the ECRIAD-Prime platform trials of treatments for epidemic and pandemic infections. I also chair the Prize Advisory Panel of the £10M Longitude Prize for a transformative point-of-care diagnostic to improve the use of antibiotics.

Butler, C. C., Hobbs, F. D. R., Gbinigie, O. A., Rahman, N. M., Hayward, G., Richards, D. B., . . . Madden, T. -A. (2022). Molnupiravir plus usual care versus usual care alone as early treatment for adults with COVID-19 at increased risk of adverse outcomes (PANORAMIC): an open-label, platform-adaptive randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 401(10373), 281-293

Yu, L. -M., Bafadhel, M., Dorward, J., Hayward, G., Saville, B. R., Gbinigie, O., . . . Ramakrishnan, S. (2021). Inhaled budesonide for COVID-19 in people at high risk of complications in the community in the UK (PRINCIPLE): a randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial. The Lancet, 398(10303), P843-855

Butler, C., Yu, L. -M., Dorward, J., Gbinigie, O., Hayward, G., Saville, B. R., . . . Hobbs, F. D. R. (2021). Doxycycline for community treatment of suspected COVID-19 in people at high risk of adverse outcomes in the UK (PRINCIPLE): a randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 9(9), 1010-1020

PRINCIPLE Trial Collaborative Group., Butler, C. C., Dorward, J., Yu, L. -M., Gbinigie, O., Hayward, G., . . . Hobbs, F. D. R. (2021). Azithromycin for community treatment of suspected COVID-19 in people at increased risk of an adverse clinical course in the UK (PRINCIPLE): a randomised, controlled, open-label, adaptive platform trial. The Lancet, 397(10279), 1063-1074

Butler, C. C., Gillespie, D., White, P., Bates, J., Lowe, R., Thomas-Jones, E., . . . Francis, N. A. (2019). C-reactive protein testing to guide antibiotic prescribing for COPD exacerbations. New England Journal of Medicine, 381(2), 111-120

Butler CC, Lau M, Gillespie D, Owen-Jones E, Lown M, Wootton M, Calder PC, Bayer AJ, Moore M, Little P, Davies J, Edwards A, Shepherd V, Hood K, Hobbs FDR, Davoudianfar M, Rutter H, Stanton H, Lowe R, Fuller R, Francis NA. Effect of probiotic use on antibiotic administration among care home residents: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA [Internet]. 2020;324(1):47-56

Butler CC , van der Velden AW, Bongard E, Saville BR, Holmes J, Coenen S, Cook J, Francis NA, Lewis RJ, Godycki-Cwirko M, Llor C, Chlabicz S, Lionis C, Seifert B, Sundvall P-, Colliers A, Aabenhus R, Bjerrum L, Jonassen Harbin N, Lindbæk M, Glinz D, Bucher HC, Kovács B, Radzeviciene Jurgute R, Touboul Lundgren P, Little P, Murphy AW, De Sutter A, Openshaw P, de Jong MD, Connor JT, Matheeussen V, Ieven M, Goossens H, Verheij TJ. Oseltamivir plus usual care versus usual care for influenza-like illness in primary care: An open-label, pragmatic, randomised controlled trial. The Lancet [Internet]. 2020;395(10217):42-52.

Francis, N. A., Cannings-John, R., Waldron, C. -A., Thomas-Jones, E., Winfield, T., Shepherd, V., . . . Butler, C. (2018). Oral steroids for resolution of otitis media with effusion in children (OSTRICH): a double-blinded, placebo-controlled randomised trial. The Lancet, 392(10147), 557-568.

Butler CC, Sterne JA, Lawton M, O'Brien K, Wootton M, Hood K, …. Hay AD. Nappy pad urine samples for investigation and treatment of UTI in young children: the 'DUTY' prospective diagnostic cohort study. Br J Gen Pract. 2016 Jul;66(648):e516-24.

Mendelson M, Røttingen JA, Gopinathan U, Hamer DH, Wertheim H, Basnyat B, Butler C, Tomson G, Balasegaram M. Maximising access to achieve appropriate human antimicrobial use in low-income and middle-income countries.The  Lancet. 2015 Nov 17. pii: S0140-6736(15)00547-4.

Little P, Stuart B, Francis N, Douglas E, Tonkin-Crine S, Anthierens S, Cals JW, Melbye H, Santer M, Moore M, Coenen S, Butler C, et al. Effects of internet-based training on antibiotic prescribing rates for acute respiratory-tract infections: a multinational, cluster, randomised, factorial, controlled trial. The Lancet. 2013 Oct 5;382(9899):1175-82.

Little P, Stuart B, Moore M, Coenen S, Butler CC, et al. Amoxicillin for acute lower-respiratory-tract infection in primary care when pneumonia is not suspected: a 12-country, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2013 Feb;13(2):123-129. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(12)70300-6. Epub 2012 Dec 19

Wood F, Phillips C, Brookes-Howell L, Hood K, Verheij T, Coenen S, Little P, Melbye H, Godycki-Cwirko M, Jakobsen K, Worby P, Goossens H, Butler CC, Primary care clinicians' perceptions of antibiotic resistance: a multi-country qualitative interview study.  J Antimicrob Chemother, Volume 68, 1 (January 2013) pp.237-243

Butler CC, Hood K, Kelly MJ, Goossens H, Verheij T, Little P, Melbye H, Torres A, Molstad S, Godycki-Cwirko M, Almirall J, Blasi F, Schaberg T, Edwards P, Rautakorpi UM, Hupkova H, Wood J, Nuttall J, Coenen S. Treatment of acute cough/lower respiratory tract infection by antibiotic class and associated outcomes: a 13 European country observational study in primary care. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2010 Nov;65(11):2472-8. Epub 2010 Sep 18. PubMed PMID: 20852271.

Butler CC, Simpson SA, Dunstan F, Rollnick S, Cohen D, Gillespie D, Evans MR, Health SL, Alam MF, Bekkers MJ, Evans J, Moore L, Howe R, Hayes J, Hare M, Hood K, Effectiveness of multifaceted educational programme to reduce antibiotic dispensing in primary care: practice based randomised controlled trial.  BMJ, Volume 344 (2012) pp.d8173-d8173

Butler CC, Hood K, Verheij T, Little P, Melbye H, Nuttall J, Kelly MJ, Mölstad S, Godycki- Cwirko M, Almirall J, Torres A, Gillespie D, Rautakorpi U, Coenen S, Goossens H. Variation in antibiotic prescribing and its impact on recovery in patients with acute cough in primary care: prospective study in 13 countries. BMJ. 2009 Jun 23;338:b2242. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b2242. PubMed PMID: 19549995.

Butler CC, Simpson S, Hood K, Cohen D, Pickles T, Spanou C, McCambridge J, Moore L, Randell E, Alam MF, Kinnersley P, Edwards A, Smith C, Rollnick S. Training practitioners to deliver opportunistic multiple behaviour change counselling in primary care: a cluster randomised trial. BMJ 2013 Mar 19;346:f1191.

Cals JW, Butler CC, Hopstaken RM, Hood K, Dinant GJ. Effect of point of care testing for C reactive protein and training in communication skills on antibiotic use in lower respiratory tract infections: cluster randomised trial. BMJ. 2009 May 5;338:b1374.

Nick A Francis, Christopher C Butler, Kerenza Hood, Sharon Simpson, Fiona Wood, Jacqueline Nuttall. Use of an interactive booklet on childhood respiratory tract infections in primary care consultations: a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2009; 339:2885 

Butler CC, Rollnick S, Pill R, Maggs-Rapport F, Stott N. Understanding the culture of prescribing: Qualitative study of general practitioners' and patients' perceptions of antibiotics for sore throats. Br Med J [Internet]. 1998;317(7159):637-42.