MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (11/17/2022) — Published in PLOS ONE , a study led by the University of Minnesota Medical School studied adults with type 2 diabetes who were taking metformin, a commonly prescribed diabetes medication. Researchers found an association with less severe cases of COVID-19 for those prescribed metformin. These findings were part of an observational study that analyzed electronic medical charts and compared adults who were taking either metformin, a sulfonylurea or a DPP-4 inhibitor.
"This study continues to provide justification for further research on metformin for COVID-19. We're fortunate to have biostatisticians and informatics experts in our Clinical and Translational Science Institute who are exceptional in observational analyses," said Carolyn Bramante , MD, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School and an internist and pediatrician with M Health Fairview.
The study found that among adults with type 2 diabetes who were taking one oral medication for their condition, those taking metformin had a 45% lower risk of needing a breathing machine or dying from COVID-19 than similar individuals who were not taking metformin. Of the similar analyses that have been done, this study used a database large enough to allow a rigorous study of the utilization and effect of these drugs in a larger, well-defined population. The research team collaborated with national experts in pharmaco-epidemiology.
These findings add to the growing body of data that suggests metformin reduces the severity of COVID-19. Dr. Bramante led the COVID-OUT trial, which published findings earlier this year that showed metformin lowers the odds of emergency department visits, hospitalizations or death due to COVID-19.
Some of this most recent data includes test-tube experiments in which metformin stopped the virus from multiplying. Researchers say metformin is safe, inexpensive and widely available, thus more clinical trials are warranted.
Funding of the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C) national database is from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Bramante was supported by the Minnesota Learning Health Systems grant and KL2 scholarship through the CTSI.
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About the University of Minnesota Medical School
The University of Minnesota Medical School is at the forefront of learning and discovery, transforming medical care and educating the next generation of physicians. Our graduates and faculty produce high-impact biomedical research and advance the practice of medicine. We acknowledge that the U of M Medical School, both the Twin Cities campus and Duluth campus, is located on traditional, ancestral and contemporary lands of the Dakota and the Ojibwe, and scores of other Indigenous people, and we affirm our commitment to tribal communities and their sovereignty as we seek to improve and strengthen our relations with tribal nations. For more information about the U of M Medical School, please visit med.umn.edu .
PLOS ONE
Data/statistical analysis
People
Diabetes medications and associations with Covid-19 outcomes in the N3C database: A national retrospective cohort study
17-Nov-2022
TS owns stock in Novartis, Roche, and Novo Nordisk. T.J.A. is an employee of Novo Nordisk and reports personal fees and non-financial support from Novo Nordisk during the conduct of the study, as well as personal fees from Novo Nordisk outside the submitted work. J.A. is founder of ARIScience. J.B.B.’s contracted consulting fees and travel support for contracted activities are paid to the University of North Carolina by Adocia, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, Intarcia Therapeutics, MannKind, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Senseonics, and vTv Therapeutics; he reports grant support from AstraZeneca, Dexcom, Eli Lilly, Intarcia Therapeutics, Johnson & Johnson, Lexicon, NovaTarg, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Theracos, Tolerion, and vTv Therapeutics; he has received fees for consultation from Anji Pharmaceuticals, AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cirius Therapeutics Inc, Eli Lilly, Fortress Biotech, Janssen, Mellitus Health, Moderna, Pendulum Therapeutics, Praetego, Stability Health, and Zealand Pharma; he holds stock/options in Mellitus Health, Pendulum Therapeutics, PhaseBio, Praetego, and Stability Health; and he is supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health, Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation International and the American Diabetes Association. Dr. Bramante holds an FDA IND for investigation of metformin for early outpatient treatment of COVID-19, NCT04510194.