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COVID-19 Treatment Hydroxychloroquine Fails to “Cure” Patients in New Study
As the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies across the world, there is a frantic search to find medications to treat this disease. One that has generated a lot of buzz is hydroxychloroquine [HCQ], fuelled in part by President Trump’s interest in the drug. While Trump’s comments have been controversial, the attention on HCQ attention is warranted. Some initial studies have suggested HCQ could be an effective treatment, especially when combined with the antibiotic azithromycin. Unfortunately, new results reported in Médecine et Maladies Infectieuses may throw cold water on the HCQ hype.
The report — by Molina et al. — studied 11 patients with severe COVID-19 who were treated with HCQ and azithromycin for five-to-six days. Of the patients, eight had conditions known to increase the severity of COVID-19, such as obesity or a history of cancer. At the end of the treatment period, only two patients tested negative for COVID-19. This is roughly in-line with untreated recovery rates, and suggests that HCQ with azithromycin were not a particularly effective treatment.
This study seems to contradict the results published by Gautret and collogues. Their study was published mid-March, and was one of the first to generate interest in HCQ. This trial included six patients who were treated with HCQ and…
