{"id":47447,"date":"2022-08-18T17:01:55","date_gmt":"2022-08-18T15:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/parsemus-foundation-metformin-drastically-reduces-covid-hospitalization-study-shows\/"},"modified":"2022-08-18T17:01:55","modified_gmt":"2022-08-18T15:01:55","slug":"parsemus-foundation-metformin-drastically-reduces-covid-hospitalization-study-shows","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/parsemus-foundation-metformin-drastically-reduces-covid-hospitalization-study-shows\/","title":{"rendered":"Parsemus Foundation: Metformin Drastically Reduces COVID Hospitalization, Study Shows"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

\nWidely available drug reduced emergency room visits, hospitalization, and death by COVID-19 by more than half if started within 4 days of symptoms<\/i>\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The widely available diabetes drug metformin reduced serious outcomes by more than half if started within 4 days of COVID symptoms in a large, double-blind randomized controlled trial, the University of Minnesota announced today. The results were published Aug. 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine, <\/i>according to Parsemus Foundation.\n<\/p>\n

\nMetformin (also known as Glucophage) is most commonly known as a diabetes drug, but also has a little-known past: as an anti-viral treatment in the 1950\u2019s. In more recent research, it also seems to affect mTOR inflammation pathways. Since COVID involves viral inflammation, lead researcher Dr. Carolyn Bramante, Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, thought the combination of anti-inflammatory plus antiviral action was important enough to put to the test.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cThis was really intriguing to us early on when we learned that people who take metformin were catching COVID less and being hospitalized less,\u201d said Elaine Lissner, founder and trustee of small California nonprofit Parsemus Foundation, which works on low-cost solutions neglected by the pharmaceutical industry. \u201cBut you don\u2019t know whether it\u2019s just coincidence until you go back to the beginning, with a rigorous randomized trial.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cWhen we learned that researchers at the University of Minnesota were already trying to raise funds to test it, we jumped at the opportunity,\u201d Lissner said. Parsemus Foundation was joined by two larger foundations also eager to see low-cost, globally-accessible medications put to the test.\n<\/p>\n

\nThree medications \u2013 one winner<\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\nWith philanthropic funds and bilingual outreach, the large COVID-OUT study compared three medications that were considered promising\u2014 ivermectin, the object of much interest and passion; a reduced dose of fluvoxamine, an antidepressant that had shown strong results in previous studies; and metformin, an extremely low-cost and widely used diabetes drug. Metformin was the clear winner in the 1323 participants.\n<\/p>\n

\nMetformin is the most commonly prescribed oral antidiabetic medication worldwide, taken by over 150 million people each year, and is being investigated for anti-cancer properties. It would be the first universally available treatment for early COVID, giving lower-income countries a tool to combat the disproportionate impact on the most disadvantaged.\n<\/p>\n

\nControversy over interpretation<\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\nIn some circles, the results are not being portrayed as a win for metformin. However, that is based on a technicality \u2014 that the medication did not help with oxygen levels measured with home monitors. Since the virus has changed and no longer goes straight to the lungs\u2014 and home oxygen monitors are now known to have issues with accuracy\u2014 that should not be the key takeaway.\n<\/p>\n

\nCrucially, metformin was the one drug that kept people out of the hospital and reduced deaths.\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cYou can argue about technicalities \u2014 statistics, ad hoc analyses, oxygen monitors \u2014 but in the end, half as many people could be ending up in the hospital, and 40% fewer dying, if we get this to high-risk people quickly,\u201d said Lissner. \u201cThat was the bottom line. That is not something we can ignore. Are we going to let lives be lost because the virus changed and we can\u2019t adjust to that? Do we think someone is going to run a bigger, better trial of a globally-affordable 100-year-old drug and do better than that? We don\u2019t have the luxury.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nLessons for the future<\/b>\n<\/p>\n

\n\u201cI think there are lessons for all of us in making sure our global clinical trial systems are more robust and ready to jump in on globally critical studies like this in the future,\u201d emphasized Lissner. \u201cIt shouldn\u2019t be little foundations like us funding studies of global importance. In the meantime, I hope clinicians around the world take notice: Metformin, an exceedingly inexpensive drug they prescribe every day, if given right away to high-risk people with COVID, can cut poor outcomes\u2014hospitalization, emergency room visits, and death\u2014in half.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\nDetails about the study results were published online August 18 in the New England Journal of Medicine<\/i> and can be found in the University of Minnesota\u2019s COVID-OUT study press release: https:\/\/med.umn.edu\/news-events\/covid-out-clinical-trial-suggests-metformin-effective-reducing-odds-serious-outcomes-covid-19-patients-seeking-early-treatment<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\nAbout the Parsemus Foundation<\/b> (San Francisco): The Parsemus Foundation works to create meaningful improvements in human and animal health and welfare by advancing innovative and neglected medical research. The foundation\u2019s focus is on supporting proof-of-concept studies and then pursuing press coverage of the results, so that the advances change treatment practice rather than disappearing into the scientific literature. As a small, agile nonprofit organization, the Parsemus Foundation was able to pivot from its regularly funded programs to a new focus on COVID-19 treatment during the pandemic. More information on the Parsemus Foundation and the work presented here can be found at: https:\/\/www.parsemus.org\/humanhealth\/covid-19\/<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

Contacts<\/b> <\/p>\n

\nLinda Brent, 415-738-2211
\n
media@parsemusfoundation.org<\/a>\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Widely available drug reduced emergency room visits, hospitalization, and death by COVID-19 by more than half if started within 4 days of symptoms SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The widely available diabetes drug metformin reduced serious outcomes by more than half if started within 4 days of COVID symptoms in a large, double-blind randomized controlled trial, the University … [Read more…]<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"entry","1":"post","2":"publish","3":"author-business","4":"post-47447","6":"format-standard","7":"category-industry"},"yoast_head":"\nParsemus Foundation: Metformin Drastically Reduces COVID Hospitalization, Study Shows - Pharma Trend<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/pharma-trend.com\/en\/parsemus-foundation-metformin-drastically-reduces-covid-hospitalization-study-shows\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Parsemus Foundation: Metformin Drastically Reduces COVID Hospitalization, Study Shows - Pharma Trend\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Widely available drug reduced emergency room visits, hospitalization, and death by COVID-19 by more than half if started within 4 days of symptoms SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The widely available diabetes drug metformin reduced serious outcomes by more than half if started within 4 days of COVID symptoms in a large, double-blind randomized controlled trial, the University ... 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