Antidepressant Fluvoxamine Tablets

The hospitalization among high risk patients with COVID-19 reduced after the trial of the antidepressant Fluvoxamine. Edward Mills said “(Fluvoxamine) could be one of our most powerful weapons against the virus and its effectiveness is one of the most important discoveries we have made since the pandemic began”. Edward Mills, PhD, FRCP, a co–principal investigator for the TOGETHER trial and a professor in the department of health research methods, evidence and impact at MC Master University in Canada.

Cheaper Prize

Fluvoxamine is a selective Serotonin inhibitor that is indicated for obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression. It costs about $4 for a 10-day regimen and could “be a game- changer for poorer countries with low vaccination rates and lacking access to more advanced COVID-19 therapies”, said by the Press.

Mills and colleagues analyzed data on patients in Brazil. The findings, published in The Lancent Global Health, showed that the proportion of patients seen in a COVID-19 emergency setting longer than 6 hours (or) transferred to a tertiary hospital for COVID-19 related reasons. The treatment effect was larger in a per–protocol analysis, which included patients “with a high level of adherence”, the researchers wrote. 17 patients died in the fluvoxamine cohort and 25 died in the placebo cohort in the primary intention-to-treat analysis. In per- protocol population one death occurred in the fluvoxamine cohort and 12 deaths in the placebo cohort.

There were 64 patients who stopped taking placebo and 84 patients who stopped taking fluvoxamine during the trial due to tolerability concerns. There is no significant difference is adverse events between the two cohorts found by the researchers.

Mills said in the release that “Fluvoxamine is, so far, the only treatment that if administered early, can prevent COVID- 19 from becoming a life – threatening illness”.

Stay tuned for more news health, medical and other interesting news updates.