David Boulware

Boulware served as senior investigator on other trials testing early treatments for covid-19 including the TogetherTrial ivermectin;, which demonstrated that ivermectin did not have a clinical benefit for early COVID-19. University of Minnesota's COVID-Out randomized trial testing metformin, ivermectin, and fluvoxamine. The Covid-Out trial reported a 42% reduction in COVID-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations with the use of metformin. In December 2021, Boulware took the initiate to apply to the U.S. FDA for an Emergency Use Authorization for fluvoxamine 100 mg twice daily.

Boulware's team rapidly launched a series of three U.S. nationwide randomized clinical trials testing hydroxychloroquine for post-exposure prophylaxis, early treatment, and pre-exposure prophylaxis for prevention of COVID-19 on March 17, 2020. These were among the first U.S. trials to be launched. The pre-exposure prophylaxis trial was reported June 3, 2020 showing that taking hydroxychloroquine was not effective at preventing COVID-19. As described, "To say that the recruitment of this post-exposure prophylaxis trial was innovative hardly gives the methods enough credit." These trials were pioneering for being remote internet-based randomzied clinical trials.

While pre-exposure prophylaxis with hydroxychloroquine for prevention was promoted on May 18, 2020, the subsequent randomized trial did not show any benefit.