US Study Finds No Benefit of Hydroxychloroquine in Mild Covid-19

A clinical study conducted by the University of Minnesota School of Medicine in the United States revealed no benefit of hydroxychloroquine in the early treatment of mild Covid-19 compared to placebo.

This is said to be the first randomized trial to evaluate the drug as an early treatment for a mild form of the disease in outpatients.

The data showed that hydroxychloroquine did not reduce the severity of symptoms of Covid-19 for 14 days compared to placebo. The results have been published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Launched on March 22, the double-blind, placebo-controlled trial evaluated the drug’s ability to mitigate the severity of Covid-19 symptoms and prevent hospitalization in a total of 491 in 40 US states and three Canadian provinces. .

Participants were recruited within the first four days of symptoms, including 56% enrolled within one day of symptom onset.

During the study, 50% of the participants received hydroxychloroquine for five days, while the remaining 50% received a placebo.

Participants were monitored for 14 days to track symptom reduction, potential hospitalization, progression to serious illness, or death.

The data also showed no benefit in faster resolution of symptom severity in participants taking zinc or vitamin C with hydroxychloroquine or placebo.

University of Minnesota infectious disease physician David Boulware said: “Taken together, there is no compelling evidence that hydroxychloroquine can prevent Covid-19 after exposure or reduce the severity of illness after developing early symptoms. .

“While disappointing, these results are consistent with the emerging literature that hydroxychloroquine does not convey substantial clinical benefit in people diagnosed with Covid-19, despite its activity against the virus in a test tube.”

Last month, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States and the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis suspended their hydroxychloroquine trials, which were being conducted separately, on patients with Covid-19.

This was followed by a similar announcement by the World Health Organization.