Clinical trial shows 20c diabetes drug slashes long Covid symptoms by 42% trends now
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A cheap and common diabetes drug could end the misery of long Covid for millions, according to one of the only clinical trials of treatments for the condition.
Metformin, taken by around 20million type 2 diabetics in the US, decreased the risk of a person developing long Covid by 42 percent if used while infected.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota believe the drug can suppress the replication of infected cells in the body — reducing the oxidative stress and inflammation believed to be at the heart of long Covid.
In the trial, six percent of metformin users developed the condition - an amalgamation of many symptoms that plague sufferers for months after they beat the initial infection - compared to 10.6 percent of people in a control group.
The study finds yet another alternative use for the diabetes drug, also sold under the name Glucophage. Tech moguls have reportedly used it as a weight-loss tablet.
Metformin is the gold standard for type 2 diabetes and prediabetes treatment, but it may also help stave off long Covid symptoms
The above shows deaths involving long Covid (green bars) and deaths from Covid (blue line). It shows that long Covid fatalities rose shortly after Covid fatalities
Long Covid is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the development of new virus-related symptoms three months after the initial Covid infection.
These symptoms can last from months to years, with doctors often puzzled over what is causing them.
The condition includes a wide range of symptoms such as
