University of Minnesota Receives Additional Funding for COVID-19 Treatment Trial

Doctors and researchers, including Carolyn Bramante, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Core Faculty for the Center for Pediatric Obesity Medicine, received funding back in January 2021 to initiate a trial aimed at using safe, regularly used, inexpensive drugs to treat some of the moderate and more severe symptoms of COVID-19. Though the trial is still in the early stages, researchers recently received an additional 1.5 million dollars to continue investigating the drug effects. They are specifically looking at the drugs metformin, fluvoxamine and ivermectin, which are generally used as treatments for diabetes, as an antidepressant and as a treatment for parasitic infections, respectively. Though it’s still early, the researchers are seeing positive results with the possibility of decreasing the severity of COVID symptoms, Even with the vaccine rollout, the persistence of new strains and the presence of less commonly vaccinated areas indicates a continuing need for safe, inexpensive, and effective treatments. To read the full article and more about this research project to combat COVID-19 symptoms, follow this link.