The finding was hailed as a potential “landmark” in the fight against the still little-understood condition, which the World Health Organization estimates affects 1 in 10 people who get COVID-19.

It tested a drug called metformin, which was originally developed from the French lilac flower, and has been the most common medication used to treat type 2 diabetes across the world for decades.

This means the drug is known to be safe, as well as being inexpensive and widely available.

The team behind the COVID-OUT trial had previously shown that metformin reduced coronavirus patients’ risk of emergency department visits, hospitalizations and death by more than 40 percent.

https://www.sciencealert.com/cheap-diabetes-drug-slashes-risk-of-long-covid-study-finds