Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Widely Accessible Antidepressant May Cut Danger Of Developing Severe Covid
The Wall Street Journal: Antidepressant Significantly Reduces Covid-19 Hospitalization
A widely available antidepressant holds promise as a treatment for Covid-19, according to a new study. Covid-19 patients who received fluvoxamine were significantly less likely to require hospitalization than those who didn’t, in the largest clinical trial evaluating the antidepressant’s effect on Covid-19 to date. Fluvoxamine belongs to a class of antidepressants called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs. It is commonly used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder and is also prescribed for depression. (Toy, 10/27)
CNN: Cheap, Generic Anti-Depressant May Reduce Severe Covid-19 Disease, Study Finds
A cheap, generically available anti-depressant may reduce the risk of severe Covid-19 disease by close to a third in people at high risk, researchers reported Wednesday. A trial among about 1,500 patients in Brazil showed those who took the drug, known as fluvoxamine, were less likely to progress to severe disease and to require hospitalization. The drug, sold under the brand name Luvox, is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) most often used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression. But it can affect inflammation, said Dr. Angela Reiersen, an associate professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis who worked on the study, published in The Lancet Global Health. (Fox, 10/28)
AP: Cheap Antidepressant Shows Promise Treating Early COVID-19
The pill, called fluvoxamine, would cost $4 for a course of COVID-19 treatment. By comparison, antibody IV treatments cost about $2,000 and Merck’s experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 is about $700 per course. Some experts predict various treatments eventually will be used in combination to fight the coronavirus. (Johnson, 10/27)
