Fluvoxamine, a low-cost antidepressant, Saves the Lives of COVID-19 Patients – "An Effective Weapon Against the Virus"
Researchers at McMaster University, including Edward Mills, treated 739 randomly selected Brazilian COVID-19 patients with fluvoxamine and another 733 with a placebo between January 15 and August 6, 2021
Each patient who received fluvoxamine during the trial was observed for a total of 28 days to assess their health and determine whether or not they required additional hospitalization after the trial. The researchers discovered that those who received fluvoxamine experienced a roughly 30% reduction in hospitalizations when compared to those who received a placebo.
Patients who were taking all of their medications experienced a greater increase in this effect, reaching 65 percent. In addition to the fluvoxamine trial, the larger TOGETHER Trial, which began in May 2020 with the goal of evaluating potential COVID-19 treatments in a community setting, was also conducted.
"To date, fluvoxamine is the only treatment that, if started early enough, has been shown to be effective in preventing COVID-19 from progressing to a life-threatening condition. In addition to having the potential to be one of our most effective weapons against the virus, its efficacy has been identified as one of the most significant discoveries we have made since the pandemic began "Mills, a co-principal investigator for the TOGETHER Trial and a professor in McMaster University's Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence, and Impact, shared his thoughts on the study's progress.
TOGETHER The findings of the trial were published in The Lancet on October 27, 2021, by the investigators.
"In addition, this low-cost, easily accessible pill is a huge boon to public health, both in Canada and abroad, because it allows hospitals to avoid costly and sometimes risky procedures."
He went on to say that fluvoxamine, which costs about $4 for a 10-day course, has the potential to transform lives in poorer countries with low vaccination rates and limited access to more advanced COVID-19 therapies, as well as in developing countries.
Since the 1990s, fluvoxamine has been used to treat a wide range of conditions, and its safety profile is well known. It was discovered early in the pandemic because of its potential to reduce the cytokine storm in patients suffering from COVID-19 infection. Cytokine storms are severe immune responses to COVID-19 that can cause organ damage that is potentially fatal. They are caused by the release of cytokines from the body.
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