Early Antiandrogen Therapy With Dutasteride Reduces Viral Shedding, Inflammatory Responses, and Time-to-Remission in Males With COVID-19: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Interventional Trial

Three years ago, a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 87 male participants with mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms found that early antiandrogen therapy with Dutasteride significantly reduced viral shedding, inflammatory responses, and time-to-remission. The Dutasteride group experienced a 46.6% reduction in recovery time for fatigue, a 49.6% reduction for loss of taste or smell, and a 43.2% reduction in overall symptom duration compared to the placebo group. Additionally, 64.7% of the Dutasteride group had undetectable SARS-CoV-2 virus or viral fragments by Day 7, compared to 11.8% in the placebo group. Biochemical parameters related to inflammatory responses were also significantly reduced in the Dutasteride group. No serious adverse effects were reported. The study concluded that Dutasteride could potentially increase the speed of COVID-19 remission and reduce the period of viral transmission. However, the efficacy and safety of dutasteride for women remained uncertain.