A study conducted in US Veteran hospital in United States found no evidence that use of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), either with or without azithromycin, reduced the risk of mechanical ventilation or death in patients hospitalized with COVID-19.
Despite limited and conflicting data on the use of hydroxychloroquine in patients with COVID-19, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has authorized the emergency use of this drug when clinical trials are unavailable or infeasible. Hydroxychloroquine, alone or in combination with azithromycin, is being widely used in COVID-19 therapy based on anecdotal and limited observational evidence.
They performed a retrospective analysis of data from patients hospitalized with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in all United States Veterans Health Administration medical centers until April 11, 2020. Patients were categorized based on their exposure to hydroxychloroquine alone or with azithromycin as treatments in addition to standard supportive management for Covid - 19. The two primary outcomes were death and the need for mechanical ventilation.
A total of 368 patients were involved in this trial. There were 27 deaths (27.8%) in the HCQ group, 25 deaths (22.1%) in the HCQ+azithromycin group, and 18 deaths (11.4%) in the no HCQ group. Mechanical ventilation occurred in 13.3% of the HC group, 6.9% of the HC+AZ group, and 14.1% of the no HCQ group.
Compared to the no HCQ group, the risk of death from any cause was higher in the HCQ group but not in the HCQ+Azithromycin group. The risk of ventilation was similar in the HCQ group and in the HCQ+Azithromycin group, compared to the no HCQ group.
This study is submitted in Medrxiv.
