Two new studies suggest that the use of hydroxychloroquine does not appear to be effective in treating Covid-19. Whether in severely or more mildly affected patients.
Chloroquine and its derivative hydroxychloroquine, molecules usually used against malaria or certain autoimmune diseases, are high on the list of potential treatments for Covid-19, in particular due to their potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in in vitro studies and promising results reported in several trials. However, none of them have yet been translated into clinical benefits. And two new published studies seem to point in the same direction.
The first study was conducted by French researchers. This work involved 181 adult patients admitted to hospital with pneumonia due to Covid-19 that required the administration of oxygen. Of this sample, 84 patients received daily hydroxychloroquine less than two days after their hospitalization, unlike the other 97.
Result, 76% of patients treated with hydroxychloroquine were admitted to intensive care after the 21st day, compared to 75% in the other group of patients. In addition, the survival rate at day 21 was 89% and 91% respectively. In other words, the fact of receiving or not receiving hydroxychloroquine did not change anything, whether for transfers to intensive care or for mortality.
“Hydroxychloroquine has received worldwide attention as a potential treatment for Covid-19 after positive results from small studies. However, the results of this study do not support its use in patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 who require oxygen “, conclude the researchers from several hospitals in the Paris region.
The second study, conducted by a Chinese team, focused on 150 adults hospitalized in China with mainly "mild" or "moderate" forms of Covid-19. Half of the patients received hydroxychloroquine for four weeks, and the other half did not. Again, whether or not they received this treatment did not change anything about the patients' elimination of the virus after four weeks.
In addition, 30% of those who received hydroxychloroquine suffered adverse effects (diarrhea, most often) compared to 9% in patients who had not taken it.
“Taken together, these results do not support the use of hydroxychloroquine as a routine treatment for patients with Covid-19 “, Estimates in a press release the British medical journal BMJ, which publishes the two studies.
Source:AFP
