A group of researchers has entertained the theory of antidepressant use for early treatment of COVID-19, with potential efficacious outcomes.
In a study published by the Lancet, researchers suggested that the antidepressant drug fluvoxamine may provide some extent of efficacy for the early treatment of COVID-19 among acutely symptomatic patients.
For the study, nearly 10,000 people were screened, as part of a clinical trial that began on June 2nd, 2020. As many as 741 participants were administered fluvoxamine, while the other 756 a placebo.
According to the Lancet study: “This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first large, randomised controlled trial to test the efficacy of fluvoxamine for acute treatment of COVID-19. We found a clinically important absolute risk reduction of 5·0%, and 32% RR reduction, on the primary outcome of hospitalization.”
Recent evidence indicates a potential therapeutic role of fluvoxamine for COVID-19. In the TOGETHER trial for acutely symptomatic patients with COVID-19, we aimed to assess the efficacy of fluvoxamine versus placebo in preventing hospitalisation.”
