Fluvoxamine effective in reducing hospitalisation in COVID-19 patients
pharmafile | October 29, 2021 | News story | Medical Communications |Â Â Â
A Brazilian study has assessed the effect of early treatment with fluvoxamine on the risk of emergency care and hospitalisation among patients with COVID-19.
The placebo-controlled, randomised, adaptive platform TOGETHER trial, was conducted among high-risk symptomatic Brazilian adults confirmed positive for SARS-CoV-2, and included eligible patients from 11 clinical sites in Brazil with a known risk factor for progression to severe disease.
The proportion of patients observed in a COVID-19 emergency setting for more than six hours, or transferred to a teritary hospital due to COVID-19, was lower for the fluvoxamine group compared with placebo. There was no significant difference in the number of treatment emergent adverse events among patients in the fluvoxamine and placebo groups.
The study concluded that treatment with fluvoxamine (100mg twice daily for 10 days) among high-risk outpatients with early diagnosed COVID-19 reduced the need for hospitalisation. There was an absolute risk reduction of 5.0%.
Fluvoxamine is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), and there are several potential mechanisms for it in the treatment of COVID-19 illness, as it has anti-inflammatory and possible antiviral effects. Whilst its efficacy in reducing clinical deterioration in COVID patients has been demonstrated, there is a greater need for larger, placebo-controlled studies to substantiate this.
This is the first large, randomised, controlled trial to test the efficacy of fluvoxamine for acute treatment of COVID-19. As the SSRI has demonstrated safety, tolerability, ease of use, low cost, and widespread availability, it might proceed to have an influential role in clinical management of COVID-19 both nationally and internationally.
Lina Adams
