Even as COVID-19 continues to kill an increasing number of people and daily new cases refuse to die out despite many anti-body treatments and measures, researchers from the University of Minnesota in the United States One study found it to be a preventive measure to reduce hospitalizations. and death due to Covid-19.
Preventive measures include taking the diabetes drug, metformin, also known as Glucophage, within four days of the onset of symptoms. Researchers have said that doing so will reduce the number to be hospitalized And the deaths due to Covid-19 have halved.
How does metformin work?
Metformin, a globally available diabetes drug, was used in the 1950s as an anti-viral drug called “Fluamine”. A recent research conducted at the University of Minnesota has proved that people who started showing symptoms of Kovid-19 and took this drug within the first four days did not have to go to the hospital or because of the virus. There was no danger of death.
Studies have found that the drug affects pathways of inflammation, To put this in perspective, COVID-19 involves viral inflammation.
What was involved in the study?
The study, published Thursday in the New England Journal of Medicine, compared three drugs that were considered promising — fluvoxamine, an antidepressant that had shown strong results in previous studies, ivermectin, an object of great interest, and metformin.
The research team thought the combination of anti-inflammatory and antiviral action was interesting enough to test the drug.
“It was really interesting to us when we found out that people taking metformin were catching COVID-19 less often and had fewer hospitalizations,” said Ellen Lissner, founder of the California-based nonprofit Parsemus Foundation.
The study involved 1,323 participants most at risk of serious outcomes – adults over 30 and with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 kilograms per square meter (kg/m2) – achieving life-saving results more quickly. to do.
What did the study show?
The researchers noted that metforminThe highly affordable drug, if given promptly to high-risk people suffering from COVID, can reduce the serious consequences by more than half.
“Metformin is an incredibly common drug, taken by millions of people worldwide. There’s no stigma with antidepressants, and it’s much easier to take than the other two,” Lissner said.
He said US drug regulatory FDA guidelines indicate that metformin should not be given to people with advanced kidney disease, and should be taken with food or in an extended-release formulation to avoid stomach upset.
Side effects are minor and include loose stools. The researchers said that metformin is also considered safe for use in pregnant women.
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