Jun 15, 2023 12:00:00

Research results that `` an inexpensive antidiabetic drug can reduce the risk of long COVID, a sequela of the new corona, by 40% '', may be effective for non-obese people

When you develop a new type of coronavirus infection (COVID-19), you not only suffer from flu-like symptoms such as fever and cough, but you may also suffer from the aftereffects

of long COVID , where symptoms such as fatigue and cognitive decline continue for a long time. There is also sexuality. Research results that the risk of such long COVID can be reduced by taking metformin , a cheap and widely used antidiabetic drug, were published in the medical journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Outpatient treatment of COVID-19 and incidence of post-COVID-19 condition over 10 months (COVID-OUT): a multicentre, randomised, quadruple-blind, parallel-group, phase 3 trial - The Lancet Infectious Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(23)00299-2

Metformin cuts risk of long COVID by 40% in patients with obesity, trial suggestions | Live Science
https://www.livescience.com/health/coronavirus/metformin-cuts-risk-of-long-covid-by-40-in-patients-with-obesity-trial-suggests

Cheap Diabetes Drug Slashes Risk of Long COVID, Study Finds : ScienceAlert
https://www.sciencealert.com/cheap-diabetes-drug-slashes-risk-of-long-covid-study-finds

In addition to physical symptoms such as strong fatigue, decreased physical strength, and joint pain, long-term COVID-19 causes symptoms such as cognitive decline, also known as ' brain fog .' In a study analyzing workers' compensation claims in New York, USA, about 71% of claimants with long-term COVID required continuous treatment or were unable to work for more than 6 months, and more than 1 year had passed since infection. However, 18% of long-term COVID patients have not been able to return to work.

Research reveals that the sequelae of the new corona ``Long COVID'' is causing an increase in unemployed people-GIGAZINE

To investigate whether drug treatment can reduce the risk of such long COVID, a research team led by Assistant Professor Carolyn Bramante of the University of Minnesota School of Medicine conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled trial of overweight or obese people living in the United States. It was conducted.

After testing positive for COVID-19, 1126 subjects, all of whom were obese, were half ``experimental group taking metformin, a cheap antidiabetic drug'' and half ``placebo metformin''. It was assigned to a control group taking

Metformin is an antidiabetic drug that lowers blood sugar levels by suppressing gluconeogenesis in the liver. Because it is inexpensive and highly cost-effective, it is recommended as the first-line drug in European and American diabetes treatment guidelines. Modeling studies have pointed out that metformin may suppress the growth of the new coronavirus, and in fact, past clinical studies have shown that metformin reduces the risk of death from COVID-19.

Following the subjects, 93 out of 1126 were diagnosed with long COVID by 10 months after diagnosis. There were 35 subjects (6.3%) in the experimental group who took metformin and 58 subjects (10.4%) in the control group who took placebo who were diagnosed with long COVID, suggesting that taking metformin reduced the risk of long COVID by approximately 40%. % was shown to decrease.

It was also found that subjects who started taking metformin within 4 days of symptoms had a lower risk of long COVID than those who started taking metformin more than 4 days after the onset of symptoms. is.

In addition to metformin, this study also tested

ivermectin and fluvoxamine , but it was also shown that these drugs did not reduce the risk of long COVID.

Bramante told scientific media Live Science, ``Metformin had theoretical reasons for clinical benefit, but many concepts don't really work when tested.'' ``I'm very impressed with the results. I was surprised,' he said.

Pregnant women were included in the current clinical trial, as metformin is relatively easy to obtain and has been tested to be safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Also, although this study was for obese subjects, the research team believes that metformin acts on the new coronavirus itself, and expects that it can also reduce the risk of long COVID in non-obese people.

Cardiologist Valentina Pantman, Ph.D., who was not directly involved in the study, said the findings are promising for obese people, who are more susceptible to severe COVID-19, and are readily available. He also commended him for using drugs.