The STOP COVID 2 study: Fluvoxamine vs placebo for outpatients with symptomatic COVID-19, a fully-remote randomized controlled trial
MD, MPE Angela M Reiersen, MD Caline Mattar, Rachel A Bender Ignacio, MD, MPH David R Boulware, MD, MPH Todd C Lee, MD Rachel Hess, Alexander J Lankowski, MDCM, MSc, FRCPC Emily G Mcdonald, J Philip Miller, MD William G Powderly, MD Matthew F Pullen, MD, MPH Jeffrey T Rado, MD Michael W Rich, MD, MSc Joshua T Schiffer, Julie Schweiger, MD Adam M Spivak, BS Angela Stevens, MD, MSc, FRCPC Simone N Vigod, MD Payal Agarwal, MPH, MSIS Lei Yang, MS Michael Yingling, PhD Torie R Gettinger, MD Charles F Zorumski, MD Eric J Lenze
Open Forum Infectious Diseases, doi:10.1093/ofid/ofad419
Background: Prior randomized clinical trials have reported benefit of fluvoxamine >200mg/day vs placebo for patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). Methods: This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, fully-remote multi-site clinical trial evaluated whether fluvoxamine prevents clinical deterioration in higher-risk outpatients with acute COVID-19. Between December 2020 and May 2021, non-hospitalized US and Canadian participants with confirmed symptomatic infection received fluvoxamine (50mg on Day 1, 100mg twice daily thereafter) or placebo for 15 days. The primary modified intent -to-treat (mITT) population included participants who started the intervention within 7 days of symptom onset with a baseline oxygen saturation ≥ 92%. The primary outcome was clinical deterioration within 15 days of randomization defined as having both (1) shortness of breath (severity ≥ 4 on 0-10 scale or requiring hospitalization), and (2) oxygen saturation <92% on room air or need for supplemental oxygen. Results: A total of 547 participants were randomized and met mITT criteria (n=272 fluvoxamine, n=275 placebo). The Data Safety Monitoring Board recommended stopping early for futility related to lower than predicted event rate and declining accrual concurrent with vaccine availability in the U.S. and Canada. Clinical deterioration occurred in 13 (4.8%) participants in the fluvoxamine group and 15 (5.5%) participants in the placebo group (absolute difference at day 15, 0.68% [95% CI, -3.0 % to 4.4 %]; log rank P=0.91). Conclusions: This trial did not find fluvoxamine efficacious in preventing clinical deterioration in unvaccinated outpatients with symptomatic COVID-19. It was stopped early and underpowered due to low primary outcome rates.
References
Bramante, Huling, Tignanelli, Randomized Trial of Metformin, Ivermectin, and Fluvoxamine for Covid-19, N Engl J Med,
doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2201662
Gottlieb, Vaca, Paredes, Early Remdesivir to Prevent Progression to Severe Covid-19 in Outpatients, N Engl J Med,
doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2116846
Ibrahim, Lowe, Bramante, Metformin and Covid-19: Focused Review of Mechanisms and Current Literature Suggesting Benefit, Front Endocrinol (Lausanne),
doi:10.3389/fendo.2021.587801
Lee, Vigod, Bortolussi-Courval, Fluvoxamine for Outpatient Management of COVID-19 to Prevent Hospitalization: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, JAMA Network Open,
doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.6269
Lenze, Mattar, Zorumski, Fluvoxamine vs Placebo and Clinical Deterioration in Outpatients With Symptomatic COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial, JAMA,
doi:10.1001/jama.2020.22760
Mccarthy, Naggie, Boulware, Effect of Fluvoxamine vs Placebo on Time to Sustained Recovery in Outpatients With Mild to Moderate COVID-19: A Randomized Clinical Trial, JAMA,
doi:10.1001/jama.2022.24100
Reis, Santos Moreira-Silva, Silva, Effect of early treatment with fluvoxamine on risk of emergency care and hospitalisation among patients with COVID -19: the TOGETHER randomised, platform clinical trial, Lancet Glob Health,
doi:10.1016/S2214-109X(21)00448-4
Reis, Santos, Silva, Silva, Oral Fluvoxamine With Inhaled Budesonide for Treatment of Early-Onset COVID-19 : A Randomized Platform Trial, Ann Intern Med,
doi:10.7326/M22-3305
Rosen, Seki, Fernandez-Castaneda, Modulation of the sigma-1 receptor-IRE1 pathway is beneficial in preclinical models of inflammation and sepsis, Sci Transl Med. Feb,
doi:10.1126/scitranslmed.aau5266
Sukhatme, Reiersen, Vayttaden, Sukhatme, Fluvoxamine: A Review of Its Mechanism of Action and Its Role in COVID-19. Perspective, Frontiers in Pharmacology,
doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.652688
Wiersinga, Rhodes, Cheng, Peacock, Prescott, Pathophysiology, Transmission, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19): A Review, JAMA,
doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12839
Zaid, Guessous, Puhm, Platelet reactivity to thrombin differs between patients with COVID-19 and those with ARDS unrelated to COVID-19, Blood Adv,
doi:10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003513