Hydroxychloroquine, a treatment that has attracted a lot of ink, does not seem to be effective against the coronavirus, whether in severely or more mildly affected patients, according to two studies published on Friday.
The first study, conducted by French researchers, concludes that this derivative of the antimalarial chloroquine does not significantly reduce the risks of admission to intensive care or death in patients hospitalized with pneumonia due to Covid-19. According to the second study, conducted by a Chinese team, hydoxychloroquine does not eliminate the virus more quickly than standard treatments in patients hospitalized with a "mild" or "moderate" form of Covid-19. In addition, the side effects are more prominent.
No effect on duration of resuscitation or mortality
"Taken together, these results do not support the use of hydroxychloroquine as a routine treatment for patients with Covid-19," said British medical journal BMJ, which publishes the two studies, in a press release. .
The first involves 181 adult patients admitted to hospital with Covid-19 pneumonia which required them to be given oxygen. 84 of these patients received hydroxychloroquine daily less than two days after their hospitalization, unlike the 97 others.
Whether or not receiving this treatment did not change anything, whether for transfers to the ICU (76% of the patients treated with hydroxychloroquine were in ICU after the 21st day, compared to 75% in the other group of patients) or for mortality (the 21st day survival rate was 89% and 91% respectively).
Promoted by Professor Raoult and Donald Trump
“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 researchers from several hospitals in the Paris region.
The second study involved 150 adults hospitalized in China with mainly "mild" or "moderate" forms of Covid-19. Half received hydroxychloroquine, the other half did not.
Again, receiving or not receiving this treatment did not change the patient's elimination of the virus after four weeks. In addition, 30% of those who had received hydroxychloroquine experienced adverse effects (the most common was diarrhea) compared to 9% in patients who did not take them.
Used to treat autoimmune diseases, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, hydroxychloroquine has strong supporters. The controversial French professor Didier Raoult thus promotes the use of this drug in patients at the start of their illness, combined with an antibiotic, azithromycin. President Donald Trump has also regularly advocated its use against the coronavirus. But in recent weeks, several studies have questioned the effectiveness of this molecule in the treatment of Covid-19 and health authorities in several countries have warned against the risk of adverse effects, including heart.
- Health
- Covid 19
- Coronavirus
- Didier raoult