Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin not effective against COVID-19 – study says

Many countries including Sri Lanka and USA began to use Hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin as antiviral drugs to cut down the SARS-CoV-2 viral count of COVID-19 patients after a non randomized clinical trial reportedly showed a pretty good rate of viral clearance in COVID-19 patients.

In their study, Gautret et al. reported a 100% viral clearance in nasopharyngeal swabs in 6 patients after 5 and 6 days of the combination of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin. This rate of viral clearance was lower with hydroxychloroquine alone (57.1%) and was only 12.5% in patients who did not receive hydroxychloroquine (p< 0.001).

But results of a recent clinical study done in Infectious Diseases Department, Saint Louis Hospital in Paris stand in contrast with those reported by Gautret et al. and cast doubts about the strong antiviral efficacy of this combination.

In this study headed by DR. Jean Michel Molina 11 COVID-19 patients admitted to the Infectious Diseases Department of Saint Louis Hospital were given hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin combination just as the Gautret et al study.

According to the paper published in Médecine et Maladies Infectieuses, at the time of treatment initiation, 10/11 had fever and received nasal oxygen therapy. Within 5 days, one patient died, two were transferred to the ICU. In one patient, hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin were discontinued after 4 days because of a prolongation of the QT interval from 405 ms before treatment to 460 and 470 ms under the combination. Mean through blood concentration of hydroxychloroquine was 678 ng/mL (range: 381-891) at days 3-7 after treatment initiation.

According to the paper 8 from the remaining 10 patients were positive to COVID-19 RT-PCR test even after 5-6 days. So this clearly says the above drug combination is very much ineffective against COVID-19.

Source – https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0399077X20300858?via%3Dihub