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Metformin, fluvoxamine, or ivermectin for non-hospitalized COVID-19 adults in a Phase 3 trial

Metformin, fluvoxamine, or ivermectin for non-hospitalized COVID-19 adults in a Phase 3 trial
Photo by ClinicalPulse / Flux Schnell
Key Takeaway
Consider that no efficacy or safety results are reported for these COVID-19 treatments in this trial.

This is a Phase 3 randomized controlled trial (NCT number not reported) conducted in an outpatient setting. The study population consisted of 1323 non-hospitalized adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The intervention involved treatment with metformin, fluvoxamine, or ivermectin, with the comparator being placebo. The specific dosing, administration protocol, and treatment duration for each medication are not reported in the provided source data.

The primary outcome was clinical progression to severe COVID-19. However, the main results for this outcome are not reported. No effect size, absolute numbers, p-value, confidence interval, or direction of effect is provided for the primary outcome. Consequently, no efficacy conclusions can be drawn from the available information.

Key secondary outcomes included viral load, serologic markers associated with COVID-19, gut microbiome changes, and long-COVID syndrome (PASC). Results for these secondary outcomes are also not reported. The study follow-up period was 23.4 months, but no outcome data associated with this follow-up are provided.

Safety and tolerability findings are not reported. The source does not provide data on adverse events, serious adverse events, or treatment discontinuations. Without this information, the safety profile of the interventions cannot be assessed.

The lead sponsor was the University of Minnesota. No funding or conflict-of-interest details beyond the sponsor are reported. The study does not compare its results to prior landmark trials in COVID-19 therapeutics, as no results are presented.

Key methodological limitations include the complete absence of reported outcome data, which prevents any assessment of trial validity or bias. The lack of reported results means the study's findings cannot be interpreted or applied to clinical practice.

Clinical implications are limited due to the absence of reported data. Without efficacy or safety results, this trial does not inform treatment decisions for non-hospitalized adults with COVID-19. The study highlights the importance of complete result reporting for clinical utility.

Unanswered questions are substantial. It remains unknown whether metformin, fluvoxamine, or ivermectin affect clinical progression, viral load, serologic markers, gut microbiome, or long-COVID outcomes in this population. Safety profiles are also unknown. Future reports with complete data are needed to address these questions.

Study Details

Study typePhase3
Sample sizen = 1,323
EvidenceLevel 2
Follow-up23.4 mo
PublishedApr 2026
View Original Abstract ↓
Status: COMPLETED | Phase: PHASE3 Condition(s): Covid19, SARS-CoV Infection Intervention(s): Metformin (DRUG), Placebo (DRUG), Fluvoxamine (DRUG), Ivermectin (DRUG) 1. The purpose of this trial is to conduct a 2x3 factorial randomized trials, which efficiently allows the parallel conduct of three randomized trials to understand whether metformin, ivermectin, or fluvoxamine, is superior to placebo for preventing Covid-19 disease progression in non-hospitalized adults with SARS- CoV-2 infection. 2. To understand if the active treatment arms are superior to placebo in improving viral load, serologic markers associated with Covid-19, and gut microbiome in non-hospitalized adults with SARS-CoV-2 infection. 3. To understand if any of the active treatment arms prevent long-covid syndrome, PASC (post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection). Detailed: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a rapidly spreading viral infection causing COVID-19 disease. There currently is no definitive preventive or early outpatient treatment therapy for Covid-19. Study study assess 3 existing generic medications: metformin, fluvoxamine, and ivermectin. Metformin: in-silico, in-vitro, ex-vivo tissue assays suggest that metformin inhibits viral replication of SARS-CoV-2 virus (Castle et al; Gordon et al; and Schaller et al). Several retrospective cohort analyses have suggested an association between taking metformin prior to SARS-CoV-2 infection and less severe outcomes. Kow, J Med Virol conducted a meta analysis, with an overall odds ratio for mortality of 0.62 (0.43-0.89). Gordon et al found decreased SARS-CoV-2 and increased cel Primary Outcome(s): Clinical Progression to Severe Covid Enrollment: 1323 (ACTUAL) Lead Sponsor: University of Minnesota Start: 2021-01-01 | Primary Completion: 2022-12-14 Results posted: 2023-07-13
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