NCT04570449

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.

Trial Health

30
At Risk

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Trial has exceeded expected completion date
Timeline
Completed

Started Nov 2020

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
withdrawn

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

September 29, 2020

Completed
1 day until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

September 30, 2020

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

November 1, 2020

Completed
1 year until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

November 1, 2021

Completed
1 month until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

December 1, 2021

Completed
Last Updated

December 24, 2020

Status Verified

December 1, 2020

Enrollment Period

1 year

First QC Date

September 29, 2020

Last Update Submit

December 22, 2020

Conditions

Keywords

covid-19fluoxetinecytokineanti-inflammatoryIL-6

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (2)

  • Rate of hospitalization

    Measures number of subjects hospitalized for COVID-19 symptoms

    8 weeks

  • Physical symptoms assessed through daily checklist

    The 23-item daily symptom checklist measures the presence or absence of COVID-related symptoms (e.g. shortness of breath, fever, chills) and other possible symptoms (e.g. ear pain, vomit, seizures).

    8 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (6)

  • Rate of intubation

    8 weeks

  • Rate of death

    8 weeks

  • Depressive symptoms assessed weekly

    8 weeks

  • Post traumatic stress disorder symptoms assessed weekly

    8 weeks

  • Anxiety symptoms assessed weekly

    8 weeks

  • +1 more secondary outcomes

Study Arms (2)

Fluoxetine

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants instructed to take fluoxetine 20 mg capsule orally daily for 8 weeks in the following schedule: Week 1 = 1 pill (20 mg), Week 2 = 2 pills (40 mg), Weeks 3-6 = 3 pills (60 mg), Week 7 = 2 pills (40 mg), Week 8 = pill (20 mg)

Drug: Fluoxetine

Placebo

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants instructed to take fluoxetine placebo capsule matching fluoxetine orally daily for 8 weeks in the following schedule: Week 1 = 1 pill, Week 2 = 2 pills, Weeks 3-6 = 3 pills, Week 7 = 2 pills, Week 8 = pill

Drug: Placebo

Interventions

20 mg capsule

Fluoxetine

fluoxetine placebo capsule

Placebo

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • English speaking participant
  • years of age or older
  • able to give informed consent
  • Tested positive for active SARS-CoV-2 infection and
  • It's been less than 10 days since symptoms first appeared;
  • Fever persists for longer than 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications; and
  • Experiencing other symptoms of COVID-19 as described by the CDC

You may not qualify if:

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

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center Clinical Research Center

Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, United States

Location

Related Publications (21)

  • Amitai M, Taler M, Carmel M, Michaelovsky E, Eilat T, Yablonski M, Orpaz N, Chen A, Apter A, Weizman A, Fennig S. The Relationship Between Plasma Cytokine Levels and Response to Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor Treatment in Children and Adolescents with Depression and/or Anxiety Disorders. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2016 Oct;26(8):727-732. doi: 10.1089/cap.2015.0147. Epub 2016 Jan 15.

    PMID: 26771135BACKGROUND
  • Blatteau JE, Barre S, Pascual A, Castagna O, Abraini JH, Risso JJ, Vallee N. Protective effects of fluoxetine on decompression sickness in mice. PLoS One. 2012;7(11):e49069. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0049069. Epub 2012 Nov 8.

    PMID: 23145072BACKGROUND
  • Blatteau JE, de Maistre S, Lambrechts K, Abraini J, Risso JJ, Vallee N. Fluoxetine stimulates anti-inflammatory IL-10 cytokine production and attenuates sensory deficits in a rat model of decompression sickness. J Appl Physiol (1985). 2015 Dec 15;119(12):1393-9. doi: 10.1152/japplphysiol.00602.2015. Epub 2015 Oct 22.

    PMID: 26494447BACKGROUND
  • Branco-de-Almeida LS, Kajiya M, Cardoso CR, Silva MJ, Ohta K, Rosalen PL, Franco GC, Han X, Taubman MA, Kawai T. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors attenuate the antigen presentation from dendritic cells to effector T lymphocytes. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol. 2011 Aug;62(3):283-94. doi: 10.1111/j.1574-695X.2011.00816.x. Epub 2011 Jun 16.

    PMID: 21569123BACKGROUND
  • Cai Z, Liu J, Bian H, Cai J, Jin Q, Han J. Fluoxetine, an Antidepressant Drug, Inhibited Cigarette Smoke-Induced Pulmonary Inflammation and Apoptosis in Rats. Inflammation. 2017 Aug;40(4):1375-1381. doi: 10.1007/s10753-017-0580-y.

    PMID: 28477248BACKGROUND
  • Dong C, Zhang JC, Yao W, Ren Q, Yang C, Ma M, Han M, Saito R, Hashimoto K. Effects of escitalopram, R-citalopram, and reboxetine on serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-10, and depression-like behavior in mice after lipopolysaccharide administration. Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 2016 May;144:7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.pbb.2016.02.005. Epub 2016 Feb 15.

    PMID: 26892759BACKGROUND
  • Durairaj H, Steury MD, Parameswaran N. Paroxetine differentially modulates LPS-induced TNFalpha and IL-6 production in mouse macrophages. Int Immunopharmacol. 2015 Apr;25(2):485-92. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2015.02.029. Epub 2015 Mar 2.

    PMID: 25744603BACKGROUND
  • Gobin V, Van Steendam K, Denys D, Deforce D. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as a novel class of immunosuppressants. Int Immunopharmacol. 2014 May;20(1):148-56. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2014.02.030. Epub 2014 Mar 6.

    PMID: 24613205BACKGROUND
  • Hashioka S, Klegeris A, Monji A, Kato T, Sawada M, McGeer PL, Kanba S. Antidepressants inhibit interferon-gamma-induced microglial production of IL-6 and nitric oxide. Exp Neurol. 2007 Jul;206(1):33-42. doi: 10.1016/j.expneurol.2007.03.022. Epub 2007 Mar 30.

    PMID: 17481608BACKGROUND
  • Huang C, Wang Y, Li X, Ren L, Zhao J, Hu Y, Zhang L, Fan G, Xu J, Gu X, Cheng Z, Yu T, Xia J, Wei Y, Wu W, Xie X, Yin W, Li H, Liu M, Xiao Y, Gao H, Guo L, Xie J, Wang G, Jiang R, Gao Z, Jin Q, Wang J, Cao B. Clinical features of patients infected with 2019 novel coronavirus in Wuhan, China. Lancet. 2020 Feb 15;395(10223):497-506. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30183-5. Epub 2020 Jan 24.

    PMID: 31986264BACKGROUND
  • Li XQ, Wang HM, Yang CG, Zhang XH, Han DD, Wang HL. Fluoxetine inhibited extracellular matrix of pulmonary artery and inflammation of lungs in monocrotaline-treated rats. Acta Pharmacol Sin. 2011 Feb;32(2):217-22. doi: 10.1038/aps.2010.187. Epub 2011 Jan 10.

    PMID: 21217769BACKGROUND
  • Liu D, Wang Z, Liu S, Wang F, Zhao S, Hao A. Anti-inflammatory effects of fluoxetine in lipopolysaccharide(LPS)-stimulated microglial cells. Neuropharmacology. 2011 Sep;61(4):592-9. doi: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2011.04.033. Epub 2011 May 11.

    PMID: 21575647BACKGROUND
  • Liu RP, Zou M, Wang JY, Zhu JJ, Lai JM, Zhou LL, Chen SF, Zhang X, Zhu JH. Paroxetine ameliorates lipopolysaccharide-induced microglia activation via differential regulation of MAPK signaling. J Neuroinflammation. 2014 Mar 12;11:47. doi: 10.1186/1742-2094-11-47.

    PMID: 24618100BACKGROUND
  • Lu X, Wang J, Chen X, Jiang Y, Pan ZK. Rolipram Protects Mice from Gram-negative Bacterium Escherichia coli-induced Inflammation and Septic Shock. Sci Rep. 2020 Jan 13;10(1):175. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-56899-6.

    PMID: 31932743BACKGROUND
  • Roumestan C, Michel A, Bichon F, Portet K, Detoc M, Henriquet C, Jaffuel D, Mathieu M. Anti-inflammatory properties of desipramine and fluoxetine. Respir Res. 2007 May 3;8(1):35. doi: 10.1186/1465-9921-8-35.

    PMID: 17477857BACKGROUND
  • Sherkawy MM, Abo-Youssef AM, Salama AAA, Ismaiel IE. Fluoxetine protects against OVA induced bronchial asthma and depression in rats. Eur J Pharmacol. 2018 Oct 15;837:25-32. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2018.08.026. Epub 2018 Aug 23.

    PMID: 30145150BACKGROUND
  • Taraz M, Khatami MR, Dashti-Khavidaki S, Akhonzadeh S, Noorbala AA, Ghaeli P, Taraz S. Sertraline decreases serum level of interleukin-6 (IL-6) in hemodialysis patients with depression: results of a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. Int Immunopharmacol. 2013 Nov;17(3):917-23. doi: 10.1016/j.intimp.2013.09.020. Epub 2013 Oct 11.

    PMID: 24121064BACKGROUND
  • Udina M, Hidalgo D, Navines R, Forns X, Sola R, Farre M, Capuron L, Vieta E, Martin-Santos R. Prophylactic antidepressant treatment of interferon-induced depression in chronic hepatitis C: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Psychiatry. 2014 Oct;75(10):e1113-21. doi: 10.4088/JCP.13r08800.

    PMID: 25373120BACKGROUND
  • Vollmar P, Haghikia A, Dermietzel R, Faustmann PM. Venlafaxine exhibits an anti-inflammatory effect in an inflammatory co-culture model. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol. 2008 Feb;11(1):111-7. doi: 10.1017/S1461145707007729. Epub 2007 Apr 20.

    PMID: 17445357BACKGROUND
  • Wang L, Wang R, Liu L, Qiao D, Baldwin DS, Hou R. Effects of SSRIs on peripheral inflammatory markers in patients with major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Behav Immun. 2019 Jul;79:24-38. doi: 10.1016/j.bbi.2019.02.021. Epub 2019 Feb 21.

    PMID: 30797959BACKGROUND
  • Young KC, Bai CH, Su HC, Tsai PJ, Pu CY, Liao CS, Lin YM, Lai HW, Chong LW, Tsai YS, Tsao CW. Fluoxetine a novel anti-hepatitis C virus agent via ROS-, JNK-, and PPARbeta/gamma-dependent pathways. Antiviral Res. 2014 Oct;110:158-67. doi: 10.1016/j.antiviral.2014.08.002. Epub 2014 Aug 21.

    PMID: 25151487BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

COVID-19

Interventions

Fluoxetine

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Pneumonia, ViralPneumoniaRespiratory Tract InfectionsInfectionsVirus DiseasesCoronavirus InfectionsCoronaviridae InfectionsNidovirales InfectionsRNA Virus InfectionsLung DiseasesRespiratory Tract Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

PropylaminesAminesOrganic Chemicals

Study Officials

  • Erika Saunders, MD

    Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
0

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
early phase 1
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
QUADRUPLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, CARE PROVIDER, INVESTIGATOR, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Hershey Medical Center Manager

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

September 29, 2020

First Posted

September 30, 2020

Study Start

November 1, 2020

Primary Completion

November 1, 2021

Study Completion

December 1, 2021

Last Updated

December 24, 2020

Record last verified: 2020-12

Locations