TLDR Proxalutamide helps COVID-19 patients get rid of the virus faster and recover quicker.
Three years ago, a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial involving 236 subjects with mild to moderate COVID-19 found that Proxalutamide, an androgen receptor antagonist, significantly accelerated viral clearance and reduced time to clinical remission. On Day 7, 82% of the subjects in the Proxalutamide group had non-detectable SARS-CoV-2 compared to 31% in the placebo group. The average clinical remission time for patients treated with Proxalutamide was 4.2 ±5.4 days, compared to 21.8 ±13.0 days in the placebo group. The drug's efficacy may be due to its ability to suppress membrane-attached ACE2, blocking SARS-CoV-2 cell entry, among other potential mechanisms.
49 citations,
January 2021 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” Anti-androgens, like finasteride, dutasteride, and spironolactone, may lessen the severity of COVID-19 in men, leading to fewer ICU admissions.
36 citations,
November 2020 in “Journal of The European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” 5-alpha-reductase inhibitors may reduce COVID-19 symptoms in bald males.
29 citations,
October 2020 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” Women with high androgen levels may have more severe COVID-19 symptoms.
26 citations,
September 2020 in “Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology” A certain genetic variant in the androgen receptor may predict the severity of COVID-19 in men.
32 citations,
July 2020 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” AGA linked to worse COVID-19 outcomes in men.
119 citations,
May 2020 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Most COVID-19 patients in hospitals have androgenetic alopecia, more in men, suggesting a link between androgen sensitivity and severe COVID-19 symptoms.
134 citations,
April 2020 in “Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology” Male pattern hair loss could hint at androgens affecting COVID-19 severity.
8 citations,
December 2022 in “Nature Reviews Endocrinology” Sex hormones' effects on COVID-19 are unclear and more research is needed to understand their potential as treatment.
June 2023 in “BMC Pharmacology and Toxicology” The trial will test if proxalutamide is safe and effective in reducing death in severe COVID-19 patients.
42 citations,
July 2021 in “Frontiers in Medicine” Proxalutamide significantly lowered hospital admissions for male COVID-19 patients compared to a placebo.
6 citations,
December 2020 in “Dermatological reviews” COVID-19 may worsen with androgens; anti-androgen drugs could help.
19 citations,
December 2021 in “Cureus” Proxalutamide improved recovery, lowered death rates, and reduced hospital stay for COVID-19 patients.