Clinical trial NCT04570449: Fluoxetine to Reduce Hospitalization From COVID-19 Infection (FloR COVID-19)
Official title: Fluoxetine to Reduce Hospitalization From COVID-19 Infection (FloR COVID-19)
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: WITHDRAWN
Phase: EARLY_PHASE1
Conditions: Covid19
Keywords: covid-19
fluoxetine
cytokine
anti-inflammatory
IL-6
Lead sponsor: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2020-09-30
Enrollment: 0
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: TREATMENT

Brief summary: The current research is a pilot study to determine the feasibility of recruiting and retaining 40 participants diagnosed with COVID-19. The purpose is to observe the early use of fluoxetine (commonly known as Prozac) to reduce the severity of the COVID-19 illness. Fluoxetine is a drug that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since 1987 for various mental health disorders.

Detailed description: Morbidity and mortality resulting from COVID-19 infections are associated with multisystem organ failure due to a rapid increase in cytokine production. Fluoxetine has been shown to reduce the mechanisms that cause the cytokine storm that leads to COVID-19 fatalities.

This is a pilot study to assess feasibility of recruiting and retaining participants diagnosed with COVID-19. The purpose of this study is to observe the early use of fluoxetine treatments on illness outcome: primary outcome is hospitalization and secondary outcomes of complications including intubation and death. Additional secondary outcomes include effects on outcomes for depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, two common illnesses which may be improved by fluoxetine.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. English speaking participant
2. 18 years of age or older
3. able to give informed consent
4. Tested positive for active SARS-CoV-2 infection and

   1. It's been less than 10 days since symptoms first appeared;
   2. Fever persists for longer than 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications; and
   3. Experiencing other symptoms of COVID-19 as described by the CDC

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Prisoner or institutionalized patient
2. Unable to give informed consent
3. Less than 18 years of age
4. Hospitalization
5. Active bleeding requiring blood products in past week
6. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder and not on mood stabilizing medication
7. Known allergy or hypersensitivity to fluoxetine
8. Currently taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI)
9. Currently taking an selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI)
10. Outpatient and currently taking hydroxychloroquine
11. Known pregnancy
12. Breastfeeding
13. Known prolonged QTc, such as congenital prolonged QTc syndromes

Primary outcomes:
measure: Rate of hospitalization
timeFrame: 8 weeks
measure: Physical symptoms assessed through daily checklist
timeFrame: 8 weeks
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Rate of intubation
timeFrame: 8 weeks
measure: Rate of death
timeFrame: 8 weeks
measure: Depressive symptoms assessed weekly
timeFrame: 8 weeks
measure: Post traumatic stress disorder symptoms assessed weekly
timeFrame: 8 weeks
measure: Anxiety symptoms assessed weekly
timeFrame: 8 weeks
measure: Suicidality assessed daily
timeFrame: 8 weeks
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Hershey
country: United States
facility: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Clinical Research Center
state: Pennsylvania
Study officials:
affiliation: Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
name: Erika Saunders, MD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
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