VOA慢速英语--研究称平价抗抑郁药可有效降低新冠重症风险

A new study has found that a low-cost antidepressant reduced the need for hospitalization among high-risk COVID-19 patients.

The drug, called fluvoxamine, is normally used to treat mental health conditions such as depression and obsessive-compulsive disorder¹.

Researchers decided² to test the drug's effectiveness against COVID-19 because it is known to reduce inflammation. Many problems related to COVID-19 are caused by inflammation as the immune system overreacts to the infection.

The ongoing³ research also tested other existing drugs to see if they could be effective treatments against COVID-19.

The study involved nearly 1,500 Brazilians recently infected with the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The individuals were at risk of serious sickness because of other health problems.

About half the group took fluvoxamine at home for 10 days. The rest got a placebo⁴. The progress of the individuals was followed for four weeks.

Of those taking the drug, 11 percent needed hospitalization or an extended stay in the emergency room. That compared to 16 percent of those who received a placebo.

The research results were reported Wednesday in the publication Lancet Global Health.

The antidepressant costs a lot less than other available treatments for COVID-19. By comparison, antibody IV treatments cost about $2,000. An experimental antiviral drug for COVID-19 developed by Merck costs about $700 per course of treatment.

The researchers have shared their results with the U.S. National Institutes of Health, which publishes treatment guidelines. They are also hoping to receive a recommendation for the treatment from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Leaders of the study said the drug could help provide low-cost protection against severe sickness or death in poor countries lacking COVID-19 vaccines⁵.

Dr. Edward Mills is with McMaster University in Ontario, Canada. He helped lead the research. He told The Associated Press that if the WHO does give fluvoxamine a recommendation, "you will see (the drug) widely taken up."

Mills added that the drug is already highly available in many poor nations. "We hope it will lead to a lot of lives saved," he said.

Some medical experts have said they believe a combination of different treatments will likely be used together to fight COVID-19 in the future.

Dr. Paul Sax is with Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts and Harvard Medical School. He was not involved in the study. He told the AP that fluvoxamine and Merck's COVID-19 drug work in different ways, but "may be complementary." Merck has asked health officials in the U.S. and around the world to approve its antiviral treatment.

Questions remain about the amount of the antidepressant that should be given. The researchers also plan to study whether fluvoxamine can also help lower-risk patients and whether the drug should be combined with other treatments.

The larger project looked at eight existing drugs to see if they could work against the coronavirus. The project is still testing a hepatitis drug. But others -- including metformin, hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin -- did not show good results.

Words in This Story

obsessive-compulsive disorder – n. a mental condition in which a person has frequent, unwanted thoughts or feelings that make them feel that they have to repeat particular actions

inflammation – n. a red, painful and often swollen⁷ area in or on a part of the body

immune system – n. the cells and tissue in the body that fights against infection

placebo – n. a substance that is given to a patient in a medical study that has no physical effect

course – n. a fixed⁸ number of regular medical treatments

recommendation – n. a piece of advice about what to do in a particular situation

complement⁶ – v. to complete or enhance by providing something additional

1 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

4 placebo   

n.安慰剂；宽慰话

参考例句：

• The placebo has been found to work with a lot of different cases.人们已发现安慰剂能在很多不同的病例中发挥作用。
• The placebo effect refers to all the observable behaviors caused by placebo.安慰剂效应是指由安慰剂所引起的可观察的行为。

5 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

6 complement   

n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足

参考例句：

• The two suggestions complement each other.这两条建议相互补充。
• They oppose each other also complement each other.它们相辅相成。

7 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

8 fixed   

adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的

参考例句：

• Have you two fixed on a date for the wedding yet?你们俩选定婚期了吗？
• Once the aim is fixed,we should not change it arbitrarily.目标一旦确定，我们就不应该随意改变。