Low-cost antidepressant reduces hospitalization requirements for adults at high risk for COVID-19 in a study to find existing drugs that could be used to treat coronavirus. The results, published Wednesday in the journal Lancet Global Health, were so strong that independent experts overseeing the study recommended that it be terminated early because the results were clear..

Researchers tested a pill used to treat depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder, as this drug is known to reduce inflammation. Fluvoxamine looked promising in small studies, CNBC reports.

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In the US, fluvoxamine tablets cost $ 4 for COVID-19 treatment. For comparison, treatment with IV antibodies costs about $ 2,000, and Merck's experimental antiviral pill for COVID-19 treatment costs about $ 700 per course.. Some experts predict different treatments will eventually be used in combination to fight coronavirus.

Researchers tested antidepressant on nearly 1,500 Brazilians newly infected with coronavirus who were at risk of serious illness due to other health problems such as diabetes. About half took an antidepressant at home for 10 days, the rest received a placebo.

They were followed for four weeks to see which of them ended up in the hospital or spent extended time in the emergency department when hospitals were overcrowded..

Questions remain about the optimal dosage, whether patients with a lower risk may benefit, and whether the tablets should be combined with other treatments.

Larger project studied eight existing drugs for their effectiveness against coronavirus. The project is still testing a drug for hepatitis, but all others - including metformin, hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin - have not justified themselves.