Taking a Type 2 diabetes drug when you have coronavirus reduces possibilities of getting lengthy COVID by 40%, a brand new research has instructed.
Metformin is an inexpensive drug used to manage blood sugar in sufferers with Type 2 diabetes.
Scientists within the US have discovered that individuals who took a two-week course inside three days of a constructive check outcome have been much less prone to nonetheless have coronavirus signs 10 months later.
The trial, revealed within the Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, was carried out on 1,126 obese or overweight folks over the age of 30 between December 2020 and January 2022.
It confirmed that solely 6.3% of individuals given the drug reported a protracted COVID analysis, in contrast with 10.4% of those that took a placebo – 40% fewer.
It is the primary peer-reviewed part three trial displaying that taking medicine whereas contaminated might assist forestall lengthy COVID.
It helps earlier research that present metformin stops the virus from reproducing in lab situations and reduces the possibilities of obese or overweight folks being hospitalised or dying from COVID.
There are at the moment an estimated two million folks within the UK with lengthy COVID, which suggests they nonetheless reported signs after 4 weeks.
There is not any identified treatment, though a current research by Israeli researchers instructed that most individuals with lingering signs discover they’re gone inside a 12 months.
‘Urgent’ want to search out lengthy COVID therapies
Dr Carolyn Bramante, the US research’s writer of the University of Minnesota Medical School, described the situation as a “significant public health emergency”.
“It may have lasting physical health, mental health and economic impacts, especially in socioeconomically marginalised groups,” she mentioned.
“There is an pressing want to search out potential therapies and methods to stop this illness.
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“Our study showed that metformin … substantially reduces the risk of being diagnosed with long COVID if taken when first infected with the coronavirus.”
She burdened that it doesn’t present the drug would assist folks already struggling with lengthy COVID.
Further research on a wider group are but to happen.
Source: information.sky.com”