Fluvoxamine, an antidepressant against Covid?
Results and side effects of fluvoxamine as an anti Covid treatment. The Lancet study
Will a common antidepressant drug often used to treat OCD join the ranks of anti Covid treatments? The Lancet magazine published a study on fluvoxamine that appears to reduce hospitalizations and deaths caused by the virus. Here's what we know.
WHAT IS FLUVOXAMINE?
Fluvoxamine, made by several pharmaceutical companies, is generally used to reduce constant and unwanted thoughts, as well as repetitive behaviors. It can be prescribed off-label for major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, and other conditions.
In use since the 1990s, the drug is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor that helps restore serotonin balance in the brain.
WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH COVID?
The researchers, we read in The Lancet , have decided to study its possible use in the treatment of Covid for its anti-inflammatory and possibly anti-viral properties.
At the start of the pandemic, fluvoxamine was also identified as reducing "cytokine storms," when the body attacks healthy cells and tissues.
THE ADVANTAGES
Some experts have called it a game-changer for poorer countries as it is given in pill form and is also cheap compared to antibody treatments that cost around $ 2,000 and Merck's $ 700 antiviral pill . Fluvoxamine, on the other hand, costs 4.
Of course, as in the case of the Merck pill, it would not be an alternative to the vaccine, but if the result is to reduce hospitalizations then it can be useful.
Furthermore, being already marketed, it does not require a new authorization from the Food and Drug Administration (Fda).
THE TRIAL
The trial ran from January to August and included approximately 1,500 people at 11 sites in Brazil. Participants were symptomatic adults with a high risk of serious illness due to other health problems. The average age was 50, nearly 60% were women, and many were not vaccinated.
About half of the participants received fluvoxamine, while the other half received a placebo. For 10 days they took the pills at home and the scientists followed them for four weeks.
THE RESULTS
The study found that giving high-risk patients fluvoxamine – 100 mg twice daily for 10 days – at the start of their treatment reduced the need for hospitalization.
In particular, in the group that took fluvoxamine, 11% of the participants needed to be hospitalized or observed, compared with 16% of those who received the placebo.
Different results were also found among the deaths. There was one death among those who took the drug, while among those who took the placebo there were 12.
Quoted by CNN , Angela Reiersen, a psychiatrist at Washington University in St. Louis who first came up with the idea of studying fluvoxamine for Covid, called the results "quite remarkable."
# COVID19 early therapy with #Fluvoxamine https://t.co/bYqlbLKL4t
32%
in hospitalization / prolonged ER visits overall
– David Boulware, MD MPH (@boulware_dr) October 27, 2021
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS
Common side effects of fluvoxamine, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, include headache, nausea, diarrhea, and dizziness, but these often subside as patients continue to take the drug.
The researchers, however, said questions remain about the tolerability of fluvoxamine, as several participants who received the drug stopped taking it due to side effects. Two ongoing studies are looking at the use of a lower dose in patients with Covid.
THE LIMITS OF THE STUDY
While fluvoxamine is a safe, inexpensive, and well-tolerated option, some questions still remain unanswered. More research will be needed on low-risk people and those who have already received the vaccine.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/fluvoxamina-un-antidepressivo-contro-covid/ on Fri, 29 Oct 2021 12:12:51 +0000.