Metformin, ivermectin, and fluvoxamine are not effective at preventing COVID-19
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Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
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Posted on August 26th, 2022
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As more SARS-CoV-2 variants emerge, recent studies have noted a decline in vaccine efficacy. Thus, it is important to find therapies that can help clear the virus or manage the symptoms. Repurposing medication, which had been already approved for other indications, would help streamline the adoption of the medication to treat COVID-19, because the safety profile had already been reported. A recent article published in the New England Journal of Medicine had reported the effectiveness of metformin, ivermectin, and fluvoxamine in treating COVID-19
The phase 3 clinical trial randomized 1431 patients, who were diagnosed with COVID-19, into taking 1) immediate-release metformin with increased dosage up to 1500 mg over 14 days, 2) ivermectin with a daily dose ranging from 390 to 470 μg per kilogram for 3 days, 3) 50 mg of fluvoxamine twice daily for 2 weeks, and 4) placebo. The median age of the study population is 46 years old with a median BMI of 30. 56% of them are female and 52% of them have been vaccinated. After adjusting for vaccination status and baseline symptoms severity, the study found that all three medications were not effective at preventing hypoxemia (oxygen saturation level below 93%), visit to the emergency department, hospitalization or death.
The phase 3 clinical trial randomized 1431 patients, who were diagnosed with COVID-19, into taking 1) immediate-release metformin with increased dosage up to 1500 mg over 14 days, 2) ivermectin with a daily dose ranging from 390 to 470 μg per kilogram for 3 days, 3) 50 mg of fluvoxamine twice daily for 2 weeks, and 4) placebo. The median age of the study population is 46 years old with a median BMI of 30. 56% of them are female and 52% of them have been vaccinated. After adjusting for vaccination status and baseline symptoms severity, the study found that all three medications were not effective at preventing hypoxemia (oxygen saturation level below 93%), visit to the emergency department, hospitalization or death.