Coronavirus: two studies conclude that hydroxychloroquine is ineffective

Text by: Simon Rozé Follow

Two studies published in the British Medical Journal show that the molecule does not bring any improvement to patients suffering from SARS-CoV-2.

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While the toll of the coronavirus pandemic has exceeded the 300,000 mark worldwide and laboratories are still working on the development of a vaccine, the scientific community was able to discover, Friday May 15, the results of two robust methodology studies conducted on hydroxychloroquine , a molecule presented as a possible treatment for Covid-19. They were published in the British medical journal British Medical Journal (BMJ).

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" The results do not encourage the use of hydroxychloroquine "

The first study is French and was based on the observation of 182 patients with a form of Covid-19 requiring oxygen administration. These patients were divided into two groups: one received hydroxychloroquine as a treatment and was compared to the second control group, which benefited from the usual standard of care. The objective was to quantify the number of patients dying or requiring care in the intensive care unit according to the two groups.

The result is clear: whether patients receive hydroxychloroquine or not, the consequences are similar. The authors conclude: "  The results of this study do not encourage the use of hydroxychloroquine for patients with Covid-19 admitted to hospital when they need oxygen.  "

"  More important side effects  " 

The second study , Chinese, studied the speed at which the virus was eliminated in patients suffering from a mild to moderate form of the disease.

This time, 150 patients participated, again divided into two groups: one receiving hydroxychloroquine, the other receiving standard care. As for the first study, the authors did not observe any difference between the two groups: “  The administration of hydroxychloroquine did not have the effect of significantly increasing the probability that the patients reduced their viral load compared to standard treatments.  "

More annoying, the authors note that "  the undesirable effects were greater in those who received hydroxychloroquine  ". Thus, in the control group, 9% of patients paid the price, while they were 30% in the treated group. The majority of them suffered from diarrhea.

These two studies thus provide several robust elements indicating an ineffectiveness of hydroxychloroquine against Covid-19. Results that "  do not argue for its use as a routine treatment for the disease,  " wrote the British Medical Journal in a statement.

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