An antidepressant used for obsessive compulsive disorder could also help treat patients with sepsis, according to a study published in Science Translational Medicine.
For the study, researchers from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville tested the drug fluvoxamine's potential to stop sepsis in mice. They found the antidepressant protected the mice from lethal septic shock by targeting a biological process that regulates inflammation.
Researchers noted additional studies are needed to determine the drug's effectiveness in humans, but said previous safety testing could accelerate this process.