Advances in treatments against covid-19 0:59
(CNN Spanish) -
Fluvoxamine could reduce severe covid-19 disease by almost a third in people at high risk.
So concludes a study published in The Lancet Global Health.
What is fluvoxamine?
It is a cheap, generic antidepressant, sold under the brand name Luvox.
The drug, sold under the brand name Luvox, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) that is most often used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression.
Fluvoxamine received initial US approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1994.
This medicine is given by mouth - it comes in regular tablets or extended-release capsules, explains MedlinePlus, the US National Library of Medicine website.
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MedlinePlus notes that there are a number of special precautions that patients should follow before starting this medication, if directed by a physician.
You can check them here.
How could it work against covid-19?
A trial of about 1,500 patients in Brazil showed that those who took the drug were less likely to progress to serious illness and require hospitalization.
Dr. Angela Reiersen, an associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis, who worked on the study, and other colleagues gave 741 volunteers with COVID-19 100 mg of fluvoxamine twice daily for 10 days, while that 756 volunteers received a placebo.
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Among the patients who received fluvoxamine, 79, or about 11%, required treatment in an emergency room or hospital compared to nearly 16% of those who received placebos.
It was a 5% decrease in absolute risk and a 32% decrease in relative risk.
More studies are needed to see if the drug could be added to treatments given to coronavirus patients, but this one is cheap.
"A 10-day course of fluvoxamine costs about $ 4 even in well-resourced settings," the researchers wrote.
"Although safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19 have been developed and distributed, significant challenges persist, particularly in low-resource settings with respect to their production, allocation and affordability," the researchers say in the introduction to the publication.
"Identifying inexpensive, widely available and effective therapies against COVID-19 is therefore of great importance."
"In particular, the reuse of existing drugs that are widely available and with well-understood safety profiles has a particular appeal," the researchers argue.
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Fluvoxamine had already been called a "hope for covid-19"
In September, the website of the US National Institutes of Health (INS) published an article titled "The Old Drug Fluvoxamine, New Hope for Covid-19."
There they mention the ongoing research on this drug in terms of a possible application for treatment of patients with covid-19.
Regarding this drug, the INS details that there are studies that "suggest that fluvoxamine is a potent agonist at the sigma-1 receptor that plays a key role in inflammation."
"Among antidepressants, fluvoxamine was the most potent at the sigma-1 receptor," they noted in the article.
The article highlights that "the advantages of fluvoxamine are favorable safety profiles, wide availability, very low cost, administration and oral use for children and adolescents."
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"If fluvoxamine is used in people with COVID-19 as soon as possible after confirmation of SARS-CoV-2 infection, clinical deterioration could be prevented," says the INS publication.
"Importantly, fluvoxamine could be a prophylactic drug for COVID-19 in countries with low vaccination rates or a poor health system."
It's not a cure, but if the drug can help keep patients out of the hospital, it would help.
Side effects of fluvoxamine
It must be emphasized that more studies are still needed to know the effectiveness of fluvoxamine against covid-19.
Also, like all medications, it has side effects to watch out for.
First, according to the US National Library of Medicine, "a small number of children, adolescents and young adults (up to 24 years of age) who took antidepressants during clinical studies ('' mood elevators' ') such as fluvoxamine, developed suicidal tendencies (thinking about harming or killing themselves, or planning or trying to do so). Children, adolescents and young adults who take antidepressants to treat depression or other mental illnesses may be more likely to develop tendencies suicidal than those who do not take antidepressants to treat these conditions. However, experts do not know exactly what the magnitude of this risk is and to what extent it should be taken into account when deciding whether or not a child or adolescent should take an antidepressant. "
To keep an eye on this they recommend: "Your healthcare provider will want to see you often while you are taking fluvoxamine, especially at the beginning of treatment. Do not miss any appointments at your doctor's office."
The FDA also has a warning on fluvoxamine regarding the risk of possible suicidal tendencies in children, adolescents, and young adults who take it to treat mental illness, adding on this topic that fluvoxamine is not approved for use in pediatric patients "except those with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) "
Other side effects include drowsiness, concentration, memory or confusion problems, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, constipation, and more.
You can check them here.
Call 1-800-273-8255 in the US to reach the National Suicide Prevention Line. Provides free and confidential assistance 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for people in suicidal or distressed crisis. You can learn more about their services here, including their guide on what to do if suicidal signs are identified on social media. You can also call 1-800-273-8255 to speak with someone about how you can help someone in crisis. Call 1-866-488-7386 for TrevorLifeline, a suicide prevention counseling service for the LGBTQ community.
For assistance outside of the US, the International Association for Suicide Prevention provides a global directory of international resources and hotlines. You can also turn to Befrienders Worldwide.
See here where to seek help in Latin American countries and Spain.
This article was made with information from Maggie Fox
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