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Could a cheap drug spell ‘game over’ for the pandemic?
by | Nov 18, 2021 | News
Since COVID-19 reared its ugly head more than 18 months ago, public health experts have longed to bolster their pandemic toolbox with a pill that could easily treat coronavirus. They may finally have one. Fluvoxamine, an off-patent, widely available antidepressant, significantly reduced COVID-19 hospitalization in the pill’s largest clinical trial to date, according to a study published Wednesday in The Lancet. One patient who got fluvoxamine died, compared to 12 deaths in the placebo group. Therapies for COVID-19 already exist, but the monoclonal antibodies — such as those from Regeneron, Eli Lilly and Gilead —- are more expensive and harder to administer. They must be given in clinical settings through an IV drip (or series of shots), or in the home with a healthcare provider present to monitor possible signs of an allergic reaction. That ramps up the logistical hurdles. To read the full story.
Since COVID-19 reared its ugly head more than 18 months ago, public health experts have longed to bolster their pandemic toolbox with a pill that could easily treat coronavirus. They may finally have one. Fluvoxamine, an off-patent, widely available antidepressant, significantly reduced COVID-19 hospitalization in the pill’s largest clinical trial to date, according to a study published Wednesday in The Lancet. One patient who got fluvoxamine died, compared to 12 deaths in the placebo group. Therapies for COVID-19 already exist, but the monoclonal antibodies — such as those from Regeneron, Eli Lilly and Gilead —- are more expensive and harder to administer. They must be given in clinical settings through an IV drip (or series of shots), or in the home with a healthcare provider present to monitor possible signs of an allergic reaction. That ramps up the logistical hurdles. To read the full story.