What molecule am I?
Fluvoxamine is an old-line antidepressant that inhibits uptake of serotonin, also known as 5-hydroxytryptamine. As a聽selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, fluvoxamine is effective against major depression as well as obsessive鈥揷ompulsive, anxiety, panic, and post-traumatic stress disorders.
Fluvoxamine was developed in the mid-1970s by a subsidiary of the Belgian chemical company Solvay. In a 1978 patent1, inventors Hendricus B. A. Antonius and Volkert Claassen described its mode of action. It was marketed under the trade names Luvox and Floxyfral, among others, and is now available as a generic. It is most often formulated as its maleate salt2.
Fluvoxamine has shown anti-inflammatory properties. As a result, it has been investigated as a treatment for COVID-19. In a 2020 that involved 152 nonhospitalized adults with mild COVID-19, Eric. J. Lenze and coauthors at Washington University in St. Louis reported statistically significant less clinical deterioration in subjects treated with the drug than subjects treated with placebo.
An April 2021 , however, declared the results inconclusive because of the small size of the study. NIH鈥檚 recommendation: 鈥淩esults from adequately powered, well-designed, and well-conducted clinical trials are needed to provide more specific, evidence-based guidance on the role of fluvoxamine for the treatment of COVID-19.鈥�
1. US Patent 4,085,225.
2. CAS Registry No. 61718-82-9.
Fluvoxamine hazard information*
| Hazard class** | GHS code and hazard statement | |
|---|---|---|
| Acute toxicity, oral, category 4 | H302鈥擧armful if swallowed |  |
| Sensitization, skin, category 1 | H317鈥擬ay cause an allergic skin reaction | |
| Serious eye damage/eye irritation, category 2A | H319鈥擟auses serious eye irritation | |
*Compilation of two safety data sheets.
**Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.聽聽
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贵濒耻惫辞虫补尘颈苍别听fast facts
| CAS Reg. No. | 54739-18-3 |
nomenclature | 1-Pentanone, 5-methoxy-1-[4-(trifluoromethyl) phenyl]-, O-(2-aminoethyl) oxime, (1E)- |
| Empirical formula | C15H21F3N2O2 |
| Molar mass | 318.33 g/mol |
| Appearance | White crystals or powder |
| Melting point | 120鈥�122 掳C |
| Water solubility | <1 g/L |
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