Scott Alexander argues that doctors should prescribe fluvoxamine for COVID-19 despite FDA inaction, urging them to overcome discomfort with off-label use when evidence supports it. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the use of fluvoxamine (Luvox) as a potential treatment for COVID-19. He argues that despite strong evidence from clinical trials showing its effectiveness, many doctors are hesitant to prescribe it due to it being off-label use. The FDA has not added COVID-19 to the drug's label, citing bureaucratic issues. Scott criticizes this inaction and suggests that doctors should be willing to prescribe off-label when evidence supports it, even if it feels uncomfortable. He relates personal experiences of hesitating to prescribe off-label medications due to social pressure and encourages doctors to critically examine their reasons for not prescribing fluvoxamine for COVID-19. Shorter summary

Scott provides updates on efforts to get FDA approval for fluvoxamine as a COVID-19 treatment and reports on the early approval of Paxlovid. Longer summary

This post is an addendum to a previous article about Luvox and COVID-19 treatment. It updates readers on recent developments in the effort to get FDA approval for fluvoxamine (Luvox) as a COVID-19 treatment. Scott reports that Dr. Ed Mills and colleagues have found a way to submit an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application to the FDA for fluvoxamine, despite the initial hurdle of not having a sponsoring drug company. The post also mentions the FDA's approval of Paxlovid, another COVID-19 drug, which happened earlier than expected according to prediction markets. Shorter summary