DOXYCYCLINE

What is doxycycline (Vibramycin)?

Doxycycline is an antibiotic used to treat infections such as pneumonia, urinary tract infections, and sexually transmitted diseases. It works by binding to the region of bacteria that creates proteins, inhibiting new protein synthesis. The lack of proteins for the bacteria causes bacterial death.

What is the connection between doxycycline and COVID-19?

Historically, doxycycline has been used for bacterial infections; however, researchers have found some evidence that it may also be helpful in the case of COVID-19 viral infection. It contains anti-inflammatory and immune response-modulating properties [1]. In several case reports of patients with COVID-19, the administration of doxycycline reduced the need for ICU admission [2].

Currently, doxycycline research is focused on preventing long-COVID and decreasing the severity of the disease. How doxycycline fares in helping with long-COVID remains unknown. There is no evidence supporting its use for long-COVID in symptom management or treatment. Further research needs to be conducted to establish doxycycline’s role in COVID-19. However, for preventing escalation into long-COVID, doxycycline does show promise in the few case reports available.

References:

¹https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8464303/

²https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.01.30.22269685v1