This antidepressant may help dial back the body’s immune response to COVID-19

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Experts believe fluvoxamine has shown to be effective against COVID-19 due to the medication’s effects on the body’s inflammatory response—specifically by tamping down that response in those with active COVID-19 infections. Photo: Pexels

 

(Claire Gillespie/ Health) — The COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been the main focus of attention over the last few months—more than 90 million doses have been administered since distribution began on December 14, at a rate of more than 2.2 million shots per day. But at the same time, scientists have continued to work hard to find treatments for people who get infected.

One of them, the generic drug fluvoxamine, has shown huge potential. Developed 40 years ago as an antidepressant, fluvoxamine—sometimes known as Luvox—has been used mainly to treat obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), per the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

But now, researchers are taking a closer look at how the medication could be an important treatment to prevent patients who test positive for COVID-19 from getting seriously ill with the infection.(…)

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