A common drug may be able to cure a common illness.
Around one in four people have developed long-haul symptoms of COVID-19, experiencing fatigue, brain fog, chronic cough, chest pain and more for three months or longer.
Now, new research shows a widely used diabetes medication can significantly reduce the risk of developing long COVID.
The low-cost drug has previously been found to potentially slow down aging, protecting against cancer, cognitive decline and heart disease.
And a study in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases has found that taking metformin during or soon after a COVID infection can prevent symptoms from sticking around.
Published Jan. 29, researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School looked at several studies of various adults taking the medication for coronavirus.
On average, one case of long COVID is prevented for every 50 cases treated with 14 days of metformin.
The drug was the first intervention to be widely tested across large trials with low-, standard- and high-risk adults for preventing long COVID.
These findings are promising, with the researchers noting that metformin can be used alone or with other treatments for the virus.
The medication is thought to interfere with the virus, preventing it from replicating.
It also has anti-inflammatory properties, which can significantly boost the immune system’s response.
Another benefit of the drug is that it’s generally well tolerated and boasts a safety record that spans more than 60 years.
And while side effect can occur, they’re typically gastrointestinal, including nausea, diarrhea and abdominal discomfort.
Another bonus? It’s an off-patent, generic drug that costs just 10 to 20 cents per pill, making it widely accessible — even for patients without insurance.
However, it’s unknown whether the drug can be used to prevent long COVID in children.
This “wonder” pill has been around for decades, most notably for treating type 2 diabetes, with an estimated 200 million people worldwide taking it daily.
More recent research has also suggested it may provide a new lifeline to the 150,000 Americans diagnosed with colorectal cancer each year.
Other studies have also hailed the miracle drug for its potential to combat obesity, provide anti-aging effects and protect the cardiovascular and nervous systems. It might even have anti-cancer properties.
