Treatment

FAQ: COVID-19 Treatment

Below are frequently asked questions related to COVID-19 treatment. Click on another category to the left to see more FAQs.

For more information on coronavirus, visit uclahealth.org/coronavirus.

 

There are many treatments available for COVID-19, many of which have been granted emergency use authorization (“EUA”) by the FDA. If you’re diagnosed with COVID-19, you should discuss treatment options with your primary doctor.

Outpatient therapies: See our COVID-19 Outpatient Treatments page for the latest on this outpatient treatment option as well as the other outpatient therapies, such as FDA authorized antiviral pills Paxlovid (Pfizer) and Molnupiravir (Merck).

Treatments for hospitalized patients: There are also several treatments for hospitalized patients, including remdesivir — the only drug to gain full FDA approval for the treatment of COVID-19.

Clinical trials: View active COVID-19 clinical trials that UCLA Health is participating in. Clinical trials are available for non-hospitalized patients, hospitalized patients and others.

Yes. There are three COVID-19 vaccines currently approved or authorized for emergency use by the FDA. You can find more information on our vaccine information hub.

Click here for all current research and clinical trials related to COVID-19, which are open and actively recruiting volunteers.

If you have fully recovered from COVID-19, please consider donating plasma through our Convalescent Plasma Donation study.

The FDA approved the use of the antiviral drug remdesivir to treat patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Given by infusion, this treatment is widely available to UCLA Health patients and part of an ongoing clinical trial.

Find more information about all our COVID-19 clinical trials.

Dexamethasone is a steroid that can be given to people hospitalized with severe COVID-19 to reduce an overactive immune response. Dexamethasone is among multiple steroids widely available to UCLA Health patients.

Yes. There is no reason to avoid ibuprofen to manage COVID-19 symptoms.

Yes. There are three monoclonal antibody therapies that the FDA authorized for emergency use to treat symptomatic, high-risk COVID-19 patients in the outpatient setting. Given by infusion, this treatment helps reduce the risk of hospitalization among particularly vulnerable adults.

UCLA Health receives a limited weekly supply of sotrovimab, the only monoclonal antibody that works against the currently circulating variants, from L.A. County. Casirivimab/imdevimab (manufactured by Regeneron) and bamlanivimab/etesevimab (manufactured by Eli Lilly), are not effective against the currently circulating variants.

Find more information on outpatient monoclonal antibody therapies on our COVID-19 Outpatient Treatments page.

UCLA Health also offers monoclonal antibody therapies for patients hospitalized with COVID-19 as part of ongoing clinical trials.

No. There are clinical trials testing the use of fluvoxamine and metformin to treat patients with COVID-19. UCLA Health is not participating in these trials, and neither drug has been approved for use.

UCLA infectious diseases experts strongly recommend against the use of fluvoxamine and metformin to treat or prevent COVID-19. Do not take these drugs unless they are prescribed by your doctor.

For more information, please consult your primary care physician.