Inexpensive Antidepressant Found to Reduce COVID-19 Hospitalizations by Over 30 Percent

An inexpensive antidepressant drug has been found to reduce the risk of hospitalization in high-risk adults recently diagnosed with COVID-19 by over 30 percent, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health.

Researchers said their analysis showed the drug cut the risk of hospitalization by 32 percent overall.

A 10-day course of fluvoxamine costs approximately $4, researchers said.

"Treatment with fluvoxamine among high-risk outpatients with early diagnosed COVID-19 reduced the need for hospitalisation defined as retention in a COVID-19 emergency setting or transfer to a tertiary hospital," researchers wrote.

The study noted that 84 participants stopped taking fluvoxamine and 64 participants stopped taking the placebo owing to issues of tolerability.

Fluvoxamine can have side effects which include nausea, diarrhea, indigestion, insomnia, and drowsiness, as per NIH. "Given fluvoxamine's safety, tolerability, ease of use, low cost, and widespread availability, these findings might influence national and international guidelines on the clinical management of COVID-19," researchers wrote.

"Fluvoxamine is widely available but is not on the WHO Essential Medicines List, whereas a closely related SSRI, fluoxetine, is on the list. It is now crucial to establish whether a class effect exists and whehese drugs can be used interchangeably for COVID-19," researchers added.

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