Fluvoxamine Does Not Shorten Duration of COVID-19 Symptoms

TUESDAY, Nov. 28, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Fluvoxamine does not reduce duration of COVID-19 symptoms in patients with mild or moderate COVID-19, according to a study published online Nov. 17 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

Thomas G. Stewart, Ph.D., from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, and colleagues from the Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines-6 Study Group assessed the effectiveness of fluvoxamine versus placebo for treating mild to moderate COVID-19. The analysis included 1,208 participants randomly assigned to receive fluvoxamine (50 mg twice daily on day 1 followed by 100 mg twice daily for 12 additional days; 601 patients) or placebo (607 patients). 

The researchers found no differences in time to sustained recovery between the two groups (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.99; 95 percent credible interval, 0.89 to 1.09; P for efficacy = 0.40). Similarly, in both groups, unadjusted median time to sustained recovery was 10 days. No deaths were reported, but 35 participants reported health care use events (defined as death, hospitalization, or emergency department/urgent care visit), including 14 in the fluvoxamine group and 21 in the placebo group (hazard ratio, 0.69; 95 percent credible interval, 0.27 to 1.21; P for efficacy = 0.86). Seven serious adverse events occurred in six participants (two with fluvoxamine and four with placebo). 

"Although one-third fewer health care use events occurred in the fluvoxamine intervention group, the difference did not meet prespecified decision thresholds for concluding a treatment effect," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.

Abstract/Full Text

Editor's Note